
Mttlfurrv ■ s'/7Y<-'t. Am> -Ye, 



THE CENTENARY 



WESLEYAN METHODISM: 



A BRIEF SKETCH 

OF THE 

RISE, PROGRESS, AND PRESENT STATE 

OF THE 

WESLEYAN METHODIST SOCIETIES THROUGHOUT 
THE WORLD. 



BY THOMAS JACKSON, 

PRESIDENT OF THE [BRITISH] CONFERENCE. 



•Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose 
branches run over the wall : "the archers have sorely grieved him, and shot 
at him, and hated him: but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his 
hands were made strong by the hands of the mightv God of Jacob." Gen- 
Beis xlix, 22-24. 




NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED BY T. MASON & G. LANE, 
FOB THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, AT THE CONFERENCE OFFICII, 
200 MULBERRY-STREET. 



/. Collord, Printer. 
1840. 



Mf EXCHANGE 

Drew Tbeol. Bern, 



MINISTERS, SOCIETIES, AND CONGREGATIONS, 

IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND, 
THE FOREIGN MISSIONARY SETTLEMENTS, AND THE 
UNITED STATES OF NORTH AMERICA, WHO, UNDER GOD, 
CLAIM A FILIAL AFFINITY WITH 

THE REV. JOHN WESLEY, A. M., 

THIS SMALL VOLUME, 

compiled with a design to commemorate 
that extraordinary revival of primitive faith and piety, 
which, arising amidst many discouragements, 
and assailed in its progress by every form of opposition, 
has, nevertheless, by its direct and indirect agency, 
spread " a sweet savour of Christ" 
through so large a portion of the globe ; 
and with a design also, in some humble degree, to promote 
among Christians of every name the cultivation of 

those divine charities which, 
in spite of all the varieties of human circumstances, 
and all the fluctuations of human affairs, 
shall finally unite the whole fraternity of man in one 
happy bond of amity and peace, 
is gratefully inscribed. 

GLORY TO GOD ALONE. 



PREFACE. 



The volume now before the reader has 
been written in compliance with the request 
of the late Wesleyan Conference, expressed 
in the following resolution: — "That our 
President is requested to prepare and pub- 
lish, with as little delay as possible, a brief 
but comprehensive work, on the subject of 
the Centenary ; including, with succinct no- 
tices of the origin, progress, and present 
state of Wesleyan Methodism, and of the 
leading facts in the life and history of the 
revered founder of our societies, such re- 
marks as may assist our friends in the de- 
vout improvement of the occasion." 

It has been the writer's intention to pre- 
sent an honest statement of facts, without 
any attempt at embellishment. Though he 
has been compelled to execute his task in 
a comparatively short period, and in the 
midst of numerous and urgent engagements, 
yet he indulges a hope that his work will in 
some degree meet the views of the ve- 
nerable body of Ministers who have called 



6 



PREFACE. 



for its publication, and that it will be found 
not altogether devoid of interest to the gen- 
eral reader. Its leading design is to stir up 
the pure minds of the Wesleyan societies, 
wherever situated, by calling their attention 
to the great things which the Lord has done 
for them and for their fathers, that under a 
grateful sense of his goodness they may 
give unto him the glory which is due unto 
his name, and may transmit to their children, 
in unimpaired efficiency, that system of 
evangelical doctrine and of godly order 
upon which the divine blessing has so sig- 
nally rested during the last hundred years 

January 1, 1839. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

STATE OF RELIGION IN ENGLAND BEFORE THE RISE OF METHODISM . 9 

CHAPTER JL 

THE EARLY LIFE AND THE CONVERSION OF THE TWO WESLEYS . . 25 

CHAPTER III. 

MEASURES ADOPTED BY THE WESLEYS FOR THE REVIVAL OF 
RELIGION. 



Field Preaching 54 

The Formation of Societies 62 

Employment of Preachers who had not received Epis- 
copal Ordination 70 

Institution of an Itinerant Ministry 79 

The Erection of separate Places of Worship .... 81 

The Publication of Books 84 

The Adoption of a Simple and Impressive Mode of 

Preaching . . 88 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE REVIVAL AND SPREAD OF RELIGION THROUGH THE LABOURS OF 

THE TWO WESLEYS, AND OF THEIR COADJUTORS 93 

CHAPTER V. 

THE DEATH OF THE TWO WESLEYS, AND OF THEIR PRINCIPAL 

CLERICAL FRIENDS 123 



8 CONTENTS TO CENTENARY, ETC. 

PAGE 

CHAPTER VI, 

THE PROGRESS OF RELIGION AFTER MR. WESLEY'S DEATH .... 156 

CHAPTER VII. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS .' 192 

APPENDIX. 

ARRANGEMENTS FOR CELEBRATING THE CENTENARY OF WESLEYAN 

METHODISM 227 

HYMNS ON THE DEATH OF THOMAS BEARD 261 

HYMN ON THE DEATH OF THE REV. JAMES HERVEY . > , . . 265 

HYMNS ON THE DEATH OF MR. GRIMSHAW 267 

POETICAL EPISTLE AND HYMNS ADDRESSED TO THE REV. GEORGE 

WHITEFIELD 269 

EPITAPH ON DR. COKE 274 

RULES OF THE SOCIETY OF THE PEOPLE CALLED METHODISTS . . . 277 



THE 

CENTENARY 

OF 

WESLEYAN METHODISM. 

CHAPTER I. 

STATE OF RELIGION IN ENGLAND BEFORE THE RISE OF 
METHODISM. 

Few periods of British history are of deeper interest 
than the early part of the eighteenth century. The 
army, under the command of the duke of Marlborough, 
had gained a series of brilliant victories on the European 
continent; and, at home, philosophy and polite learning 
had flourished beyond all former example. The discove- 
ries of Newton filled the civilized world with astonish- 
ment ; and the compositions of Addison, Steele, Swift, 
Pope, and others, had secured for that period the name 
of the Augustan age of English literature. While these 
eminent men occupied the public attention, other agents 
were in a course of training, who were destined by Pro- 
vidence to achieve victories greater than Marlborough ever 
contemplated — victories over sin and brutal ignorance ; 
and to produce changes in the state of society more pro- 
found, momentous, and extensive than the most polished 
writers have ever been able to effect. At the very time 
when patriots and politicians were fired with the military 

1* 



10 THE CENTENARY OF 

success of the great general of the age, and gentler spirits 
■were charmed with the smooth numbers of Pope, and the 
graceful simplicity of Addison, Mrs. Wesley at Epworth, 
in obscurity, poverty, and sorrow, by her prayers, example, 
and assiduous instructions, was forming the character of 
her sons, two of whom were among the principal instru- 
ments of reviving Christianity in its primitive spirituality 
and power. 

The centenary of this great revival of religion, to which 
the name of Methodism has been given, is intended to be 
celebrated in the year 1839 by the Wesleyan body, as a 
subject of grateful acknowledgment to the God of all grace ; 
and the design of the present publication is to trace the 
leading facts connected with the rise and progress of this 
work, which is conceived to present striking proofs of 
divine interference. 

That some extraordinary means were then necessary 
to bring the truths of Christianity more effectually to bear 
upon the spirit and conduct of the people of England is 
generally acknowledged. On this subject, indeed, the 
evidence is fearfully strong and conclusive. It was un- 
questionably the most unevangelical period that had ever 
occurred in this country since the Reformation was com- 
pleted, in the reign of Elizabeth. Infidelity was exten- 
sively prevalent, both in the form of downright blasphemy 
and of philosophical speculation. Of this no doubt can be 
entertained, when it is remembered that the pernicious 
and wicked writings of Hobbes, Toland, Blount, Collins, 
Mandeville, Shaftesbury, Tindal, Morgan, Woolston, and 
Chubb, were then in full circulation ; and that the higher 
and more influential classes of society were especially 
corrupted by their poison. The evil was aggravated by the 
appearance, about the middle of the century, of the infidel 
speculations of Bolingbroke. By many it was regarded 
as a settled point that Christianity was a fable, which they 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



11 



were justified in holding up to public reprobation and scorn, 
for the manner in which it had restrained the appetites 
and passions of mankind. 

Strenuous efforts were then made by several ecclesias- 
tics to introduce deadly heresy into the Church of God. 
The learned Dr. Samuel Clarke, occupying the influential 
post of rector of St. James's, and enjoying the friendship 
of Sir Isaac Newton and the patronage of the queen, openly 
appeared as the advocate of Arianism, and was assisted 
by the erudite and indefatigable Whiston, with other wri- 
ters of less note. In the west of England, Hallet and 
Pierce, two able ministers among the dissenters, espoused 
the same cause, in which they were supported by some 
of their brethren in London. Waterland came forward as 
the successful opponent of Clarke ; and several dissent- 
ing ministers laboured with honourable zeal and talent to 
preserve their churches in the catholic faith ; yet the cir- 
cumstance that clergymen of superior learning and talent 
were themselves disputing about the very substance of 
Christianity, must have had a very injurious influence 
upon the minds of the common people, and still more upon 
speculative libertines, in an age of profanity and skepti- 
cism. Such men would doubtless be ready to justify their 
unbelief and indifference by saying, " It will be soon 
enough for us to listen to the instructions and remonstran- 
ces of Christians, when they have agreed among them- 
selves whether the author of their religion was a divine 
or only a super-angelic being ; whether he is to be wor- 
shipped as God, or regarded as a mere creature like our- 
selves." A noisy prelate, Bishop Hoadley, the friend of 
Clarke, appears to have given up all that is peculiar in 
Christianity, in compliment to the Deists, who cannot en- 
dure mysteries, and to have espoused substantially the 
Socinian heresy, while, at the same time, he retained his 
office and preferment in the Established Church. He was 



12 



THE CENTENARY OF 



an endless writer of polemical pamphlets and treatises, 
the spirit and tendency of which are thoroughly secular. 

The interests of religion must at all times depend, in a 
great measure, upon the character and ministrations of the 
clergy. When these important functionaries live in the 
spirit of their holy vocation, preach the truth with fidelity 
and affection, and pay due attention to their pastoral 
charge, their labours cannot be altogether unsuccessful ; 
for they are sanctioned by the promised blessing of God, 
which will never be withheld. In the times of which we 
are speaking, there was, on the part of the great body of 
the Episcopal clergy, an evident departure from some of 
the most important theological principles of the Reforma- 
tion. No man, for instance, can read the works of such 
writers as Tillotson, Bull, and Waterland, without being 
struck with the discrepancy between the teaching of these 
great and learned men, and the doctrine of the homilies 
which were drawn up by Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, and 
Jewell, especially on the vital question of a sinner's justi- 
fication before God. Yet Tillotson, Bull, and Waterland 
are to be classed with the very best of their clerical con- 
temporaries ; and the last two. as advocates of the catholic 
doctrine of the Trinity, have acquired imperishable honours, 
and will be for ever entitled to the gratitude of mankind. 
The generality of their brethren fell immensely short of 
them, not only in natural talents and profound erudition, 
but in zeal and devotion. Not a few were notoriously ig- 
norant of the science which they were appointed to teach, 
and therefore utterly incompetent to grapple with the 
errors and wickedness of the times. They were deficient 
also in that weight of moral character which is always 
necessary to ministerial success. Many were despised 
for their inefficiency, while they were hated for the sake 
of their office. 

The dissenting ministers, in general, professed to hold 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



13 



the peculiar tenets of Calvinism ; but not a few of them, 
at the period in question, ran into the opposite extreme, 
and preached a gospel — if gospel it may be called — in 
which the great truths of the Christian revelation had little 
or no place. They seem to have thought that Christianity 
was to be checked and modified by what they, in common 
with the Deists, called " the light of nature ;" and as that 
" light" discovered to them nothing concerning a trinity 
of persons in the Godhead, Adam's federal relation to his 
posterity, original sin, the atonement of Christ, justification 
by faith, and the offices of the Holy Spirit, these teachers 
maintained a corresponding silence on all subjects of this 
nature. In many volumes of sermons by dissenting 
ministers, which were published during this period, how- 
ever we may admire the learning, ingenuity, and eloquence 
of the writers, we look in vain for any such answer to the 
question, " What must I do to be saved ?" as is at all con 
sistent with St. Paul's epistles, or can satisfy the con- 
science of a man who is convinced of his guilt, and of the 
sinfulness of his own nature. Among the dissenters there 
was a great decay of spiritual religion, arising, perhaps, 
partly from the very high Calvinism which some of them 
maintained, but chiefly from the unevangelical ministry 
which had been introduced among them. It is probable 
that the writings and example of Locke exerted a very 
injurious influence upon several of their churches. His 
high intellectual character filled them, as it did many other 
men, with admiration ; his political publications generally 
accorded with their views : and hence they were prepared 
to receive his most defective theology. Two of their 
ministers carried on his very misleading work on the 
Apostolical Epistles. 

These facts are stated, not. for any party or sinister pur- 
pose, but to show that the nation was on the brink of ruin, 
both with regard to religion and public morals ; and that 



u 



THE CENTENARY OF 



unless God in his merciful providence had raised up some 
extraordinary means of counteracting the evils which 
were then in full operation, the consequences must have 
been most disastrous. The age was not so remarkable 
for any one particular vice or crime, as for a general aban- 
donment to ungodliness, and to profligacy of manners. 
Persons of rank and fashion laughed at religion, and the 
common people wallowed in sin. To prove that the state- 
ments which have been just given are not only substan- 
tially correct, but correct in every part, we adduce the fol- 
lowing testimonies. It will be observed that they are not 
selected from modern writers, but are given by unexcep- 
tionable witnesses, who lived in the times which they 
describe. 

BISHOP BURNET, 1713. 

" I am now in the seventieth year of my age ; and as I 
cannot speak long in the world in any sort, so I cannot 
hope for a more solemn occasion than this, of speaking 
with all due freedom, both to the present and to the suc- 
ceeding ages. Therefore I lay hold on it to give a free 
vent to those sad thoughts that lie on my mind both day 
and night, and are the subject of many secret mourn- 
ings. I dare appeal to that God to whom the secrets of 
my heart are known, and to whom I am shortly to give an 
account of my ministry, that I have the true interests of 
this Church ever before my eyes, and that I pursue them 
with a sincere and fervent zeal. If I am mistaken in the 
methods I follow, God, to whom the integrity of my heart 
is known, will not lay that to my charge. I cannot look 
on without the deepest concern, when / see the imminent 
ruin hanging over this Church, and, by consequence, over the 
whole Reformation. The outward state of things is black 
enough, God knoios ; but that which heightens my fears rises 
chiefly from the inward state into which we are unhappily 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



15 



fallen. I will, in examining this, confine myself to . . . 
the clergy. 

£i Our Ember-weeks are the burden and grief of my life. 
The much greater part of those who come to be ordained 
are ignorant to a degree not to be apprehended by those 
who are not obliged to know it. The easiest part of know- 
ledge is that to which they are the greatest strangers : I 
mean, the plainest part of the Scriptures, which they say, 
in excuse for their ignorance, that their tutors in the uni- 
versities never mention the reading of to them ; so that 
they can give no account, or at least, a very imperfect one, 
of the contents even of the gospels. Those who have read 
some few books yet never seem to have read the Scrip- 
tures. Many cannot give a tolerable account even of the 
catechism itself, how short and plain soever. They cry, 
and think it a sad disgrace to be denied orders ; though 
the ignorance of some is such, that, in a well-regulated 
state of things, they would appear not knowing enough to 
be admitted to the holy sacrament. 

" This does often tear my heart. The case is not much 
better in many who, having got into orders, come for insti- 
tution, and cannot, make it appear that they have read the 
Scriptures, or any one good book, since they were or- 
dained ; so that the small measure of knowledge upon 
which they got into holy orders, not being improved, is in 
a way to be quite lost : and then they think it a great 
hardship if they are told they must know the Scriptures 
and the body of divinity better before they can be trusted 
with the care of souls. These things pierce one's soul, 
and make him often cry out, ' that I had wings like a 
dove ; for then would I fly away and be at rest.' What 
are we like to grow to 1 In what a case are we in to deal 
with any adversary, atheist, papist, or dissenters ; or in 
any sort to promote the honour of God, and carry on the 
great concerns of the gospel ; when so gross an ignorance 



16 



THE CENTENARY OF 



in the fundamentals of religion has spread itself so much 
among those who ought to teach others, and yet need that 
one teach them the first principles of the oracles of God. 

" Politics and party eat out among us, not only study 
and learning, but that which is the only thing that is more 
valuable — a true sense of religion, with a sincere zeal in 
advancing that for which the Son of God both lived and 
died, and to which those who are received into holy or- 
ders have vowed to dedicate their lives and labours. 
Clamours of scandal in any of the clergy are not frequent, 
it is true, and God be thanked for it ; but a remiss, un- 
thinking course of life, with little or no application to study, 
and the bare performing of that which, if not done, would 
draw censures, when complained of, without ever pursu- 
ing the pastoral care in any suitable degree, is but too 
common, as well as too evident."* 

BISHOP GIBSON, 1728. 

" They who live in these great cities, (London and 
Westminster,) or have had frequent recourse to them, and 
have any concern for religion, must have observed, to their 
great grief, that profaneness and impiety are grown bold and 
open ; that a new sort of vice of a very horrible nature, 
and almost unknown before in these parts of the world, 
was springing up and gaining ground among us, if it had 
not been checked by the seasonable care of the civil ad- 
ministration ; that, in some late writings, public stews 
have been openly vindicated, and public vices recom- 
mended to the protection of the government, as public 
benefits ; and that great pains have been taken to make 
men easy in their vices, and deliver them from the re- 
straints of conscience, by undermining all religion, and 
promoting atheism and infidelity ; and, what adds to the 
danger, by doing it under specious colours and pretences 
* Pastoral Care, preface to third edition, 1713. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



17 



of several kinds. One, under pretence of opposing the 
encroachments of popery, thereby to recommend himself 
to the unwary Protestant reader, has laboured at once to 
set aside all Christian ordinances, and the very being of 
a Christian ministry, and a Christian Church. Another, 
under colour of great zeal for the Jewish dispensation, 
and the literal meaning of Scripture, has been endeavour- 
ing to overthrow the foundations of the Christian religion. 
A third, pretending to raise the actions and miracles of 
our Saviour to a more exalted and spiritual meaning, has 
laboured to take away the reality of them, and by that to 
destroy one of the principal evidences of Christianity. 
Others have shown a great zeal for natural religion, in op- 
position to revealed, with no other view, as it seems, than 
to get rid of the restraints of revealed religion, and to make 
way for unbounded enjoyment of their corrupt appetites 
and vicious inclinations, no less contrary, in reality, to the 
obligations of natural religion than of revealed. And all 
or most of these writers, under colour of pleading for the 
liberties of mankind, have run into an unprecedented 
licentiousness in treating the serious and important con- 
cerns of religion in a ludicrous and reproachful manner."* 

BISHOP BUTLER, 1736. 

" It is come, I know not how, to be taken for granted, 
by many persons, that Christianity is not so much as a sub- 
ject of inquiry ; but that it is now at length discovered to be 
fictitious. And, accordingly, they treat it as if, in the pre- 
sent age, this were an agreed point among all people of dis- 
cernment ; and nothing remained but to set it up as a prin- 
cipal subject of mirth and ridicule, as it were, by way of 
reprisals, for its having so long interrupted the pleasures 
of the world."! 

* Pastoral Letters, p. 2, second edition. 

t Advertisement prefixed to the first edition of the Analogy. 



18 



THE CENTENARY OF 



ARCHBISHOP SECKER, 1738. 

" Men have always complained of their own times, and 
always with too much reason. But though it is natural to 
think those evils the greatest which we feel ourselves, and 
therefore mistakes are easily made in comparing one age 
with another ; yet in this we cannot be mistaken, that an 
open and professed disregard to religion is become, through 
a variety of unhappy causes, the distinguishing character of 
the present age ; that this evil is grown to a great height in 
the metropolis of the nation ; is daily spreading through 
every part of it ; and, bad in itself as any can be, must of 
necessity bring in all others after it. Indeed, it hath al- 
ready brought in such dissoluteness and contempt of principle, 
in the higher part of the world, and such profligate intempe- 
rance, and fearlessness of committing crimes, in the lower, 
as must, if this torrent of impiety stop not, become absolutely 
fatal. And God knows, far from stopping, it receives, 
through the ill designs of some persons, and the incon- 
siderateness of others, a continual increase. Christianity 
is now ridiculed and railed at with very little reserve ; and 
the teachers of it without any at all. Indeed, with respect 
to us, (the clergy,) the rule which most of our adversaries 
appear to have set themselves, is to be, at all adventures, 
as bitter as they can ; and they follow it, not only beyond 
truth, but beyond probability ; asserting the very worst of 
things of us without foundation, and exaggerating every 
thing without mercy ; imputing the faults (and sometimes 
imaginary faults) of particular persons to the whole order ; 
and then declaiming against us all promiscuously, with 
such vehemence as, in any case but ours, they themselves 
would think in the highest degree unjust and cruel. Or 
if sometimes a few exceptions are made, they are usually 
made only to divide us among ourselves ; to deceive one 
part of us, and throw a greater odium upon the other. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



19 



Still, were these invectives only to affect us personally, 
dear as our reputations are and ought to be to us, the mis- 
chief would be small in comparison to what it is. But 
the consequence hath been, as it naturally must, that dis- 
regard to us hath greatly increased the disregard to public 
worship and instruction; that many are grown prejudiced 
against religion ; nay, more, indifferent about it, and unac- 
quainted with it. And the emissaries of the Romish 
Church, taking the members of ours at this unhappy dis- 
advantage, have begun to reap great harvests in the field 
which hath been thus prepared for them by the labours of 
those who would be thought their most irreconcileable 
enemies."* 

" The necessity of a moral life most men will own in 
general terms ; only what they are pleased to call so is 
often a very immoral one, both with respect to their fel- 
low-creatures and the government of themselves. But 
regard to piety is strangely lost, even among persons that 
are otherwise tolerably serious. Many have laid aside all 
appearances of it ; and others, who would seem to keep 
them up, do it with evident marks of indifference and 
contempt."! 

To the sad testimonies given by these eminent prelates 
may be added the following, selected from the writings of 
devout and orthodox dissenters. 

DR. JOHN GUYSE, 1729. 

" The greatest number of preachers and hearers seem 
contented to lay him (Christ) aside ; and too many there 
are among us that set themselves against him. His name 
is seldom heard of in conversation, unless in a way of 
strife and debate ; or, which is infinitely worse, in a way 
of contempt, reproach and blasphemy ; and I am persuaded 
it never entered less than at this day into our practical 



* Eight Charges, p. 4. Edit. 1790. f Ibid. p. 21. 



20 



THE CENTENARY OF 



godliness, into our solemn assemblies, into our dealings 
with God, into our dependances on him, expectations 
from him, and devotedness to him. 

" The present modish turn of religion looks as if we 
began to think that we have no need of a Mediator ; but 
that all our concerns were managed with God as an abso- 
lute God. The religion of nature makes up the darling 
topics of our age ; and the religion of Jesus is valued only 
for the sake of that, and only so far as it carries on the 
light of nature, and is a bare improvement of that kind of 
light. All that is restrictively Christian, or that is pecu- 
liar to Christ — every thing concerning him that has not 
its apparent foundation in natural light, or that goes be- 
yond its principles — is waved, and banished, and despised ; 
and even moral duties themselves, which are essential to 
the very being of Christianity, are usually harangued upon 
without any evangelical turn, or reference to Christ, as 
1 fruits of righteousness to the praise and glory of God by 
him.' They are placed in the room of Christ, are set up 
independent of him, and are urged upon principles and 
with views ineffectual to secure their practice, and more 
suited to the sentiments and temper of a heathen than of 
those that take the whole of their religion from Christ. 

" How many sermons may one hear that leave out 
Christ, both name and thing, and that pay no more regard 
to him than if we had nothing to do with him ! What a 
melancholy symptom, what a threatening omen is this ! 
Do we not already feel its dismal effects in the growth of 
infidelity, in the rare instances of conversion-work, and in 
the cold, low, and withering state of religion among the pro- 
fessors of it, beyond what has been known in some former 
days ? May not these things be chargeable in great mea- 
sure on a prevailing disuse of preaching Christ? And 
where will they end if the disuse goes on, and little 01 
nothing concerning him is to be heard among us ? How 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



21 



should all the ministers of Christ, that heartily love him, 
that are concerned for his honour, and for the honour of 
his religion, as Christians, be affected at these thoughts !"* 

THE REV. JOHN HURRION, 1729. 

" The malignant opposition made to him (the Holy Spirit) 
by some, and the vile contempt cast upon him by others, 
are things which have quenched and grieved him, and 
caused him to depart to that degree as hereby almost all vital 
religion is lost out of the world. Hence it is that the glory 
of God in Christ, the faith, joy, and zeal of Christians, are 
under such a cloud at this day. Is it not, then, high time 
to speak ?"f 

DR. ISAAC WATTS, 1731. 

" Among the papers published last year there hath been 
some inquiry made whether there be any decay of the 
* dissenting interest and what may be supposed to have 
been the occasion of it. So far as I have searched into 
that matter, I have been informed that whatsoever decrease 
may have appeared in some places, there have been sen- 
sible advances in others. And without entering into any 
debate about the particular reasons of its declension in any 
town whatsoever, I am well satisfied that the great and 
general reason is the decay of vital religion in the hearts 
and lives of men ; and the little success which the ministra- 
tions of the gospel have had of late for the conversion of sin- 
ners to holiness, and the recovery of them from the state of 
corrupt nature, and the course of this world, to the life of 
God by Jesus Christ 

" Nor is the complaint of the declension of virtue and 
piety made only by the Protestant dissenters. It is a ge- 

* Twelve Sermons delivered at Coward's Lecture, p. 261. Edit. 
1729. 

t Sermons on the Holy Spirit, p. 21. Edit. 1734. 



22 



THE CENTENARY OF 



neral matter of mournful observation among all that lay the 
cause of God to heart ; and therefore it cannot be thought 
amiss for every one to use «U just and proper efforts for 

the recovery of dying religion in the world"* 

THE REV. ABRAHAM TAYLOR, 1734. 
{' When any man of a thoughtful, serious temper con- 
siders the great decay of practical religion in this nation, 
and, at the same time, calls to mind the contempt which 
has been for many years cast on the Holy Spirit and his 
operations, he must readily conclude that this is the grand 
cause of the corruptions and abominations which abound 
among us. The Spirit has been grieved and offended, 
and he, in a great measure, is withdrawn and gone. It is, 
therefore, no wonder that the religion of the closet and the 
family is so much neglected, and that public ordinances are 
of so little benefit to such as, in a formal way, engage in 
them. 

" There is scarce any method which could be taken to 
affront the Holy Spirit but has been fallen into by some or 
other in our present day of darkness. The errors formerly 
held and propagated by the Arians and Macedonians have 
been revived, and eager attempts have been made to rob 
him of his true divinity, and to make him pass for one of 
the creatures ; and some, who would not be reckoned 
among his enemies, have gone so far as to recommend it 
to Christians to worship him directly only occasionally, 
as prudence and expedience may require, and not to bind 
it on their own consciences, or upon others, as a neces- 
sary thing. The detestable heresy of Sabellius has been 
raked out of the ashes ; for some have denied the Spirit's 
real personality, and have pleaded that he is only a divine 
power ; the active, or the intelligent effective power of 

* Preface to An Humble Attempt toward the Revival of Practical 
Religion. Edit. 1735. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



23 



God, personalized by some idioms of speech. These op- 
positions made to the Scripture doctrine of the Holy 
Spirit's supreme deity and real personality, are as out- 
rageous insults as can well be offered him ; and the treat- 
ment which he meets with, from the before-mentioned 
enemies of the truth, must be highly provoking to him. 

" His motions as a quickener, a convincer, an instructer, 
and a comforter, are frequently bantered by such as would 
not be thought to throw off all regard to the Christian insti- 
ution. His sealing up believers to the day of redemption, 
or his witnessing with their spirits that they are the chil 
ilren of God, is treated with grimace by some who pre • 
tend the Bible is their religion. All that profess to de- 
pend upon his aid and conduct are ridiculed as enthusiasts 
t>y such as do not in words deny the authority of Scrip- 
ture. It must with sorrow be said — for though it is a sad 
truth, it is a real fact — that it has been too common for 
»he Holy Spirit to be left out in preaching upon duty ; and 
it has been too general a thing to neglect putting such as 
are pressed to regard their salvation, on keeping up in 
their minds a continual sense of their being able to do 
nothing aright without his aid and assistance."* 

Testimonies of a similar kind might be multiplied to an 
almost unlimited extent ; but these may at present suffice. 
They furnish melancholy proof of the fearful prevalence 
of infidelity, and of profligacy of manners, among the irre- 
ligious part of the community ; of the spread and wither- 
ing influence of antichristiaii error among professing 
Christians ; while the existing ministry, in the length and 
breadth of the land, with some honourable exceptions, was 
comparatively powerless. Churchmen carried on, from 
year to year, the Boyle Lecture, in opposition to infidelity 
and skepticism ; and the Lady Moyer Lecture, in defence 

* Preface to Hurrion's Sermons on the Holy Spirit, p. 5. Edit. 
1734. 



24 



THE CENTENARY OF 



of Christian orthodoxy. The dissenters also establish**! 
their Lectures at Salters' Hall, Bury-street, and Lime- 
street, against popery, and other forms of heterodox opi- 
nion which were rapidly gaining ground among them ; and 
many of the lecturers discharged their duty with very su- 
perior zeal and ability. Yet amidst all this effort, accom- 
panied by the regrets of good men on account of the de- 
clension of spiritual and practical religion, it is undeniable 
that "iniquity abounded, and the love of many waxed 
cold." The enemy triumphed, and Israel was faint-hearted. 
The alleged irregularities of Methodism have often been 
a subject of loud complaint : so that when Mr. Wesley, 
accompanied by his fellow-helpers to the truth, appeared 
in the field of conflict, many an Eliab, both in the ranks 
of churchmanship and dissent, said to him, in angry tone, 
"Why earnest thou down hither? .... I know thy pride, 
and the naughtiness of thy heart." The appeal is now 
made to those who love Christ and his religion better than 
the interests of party, whether the answer of the stripling 
of Bethlehem is not justly applicable in this case : "And 
David said, What have I now done 1 Is there not a cause ? n 
Mr. Wesley was not the only man who thought that, at 
the period in question, the English nation had nearly filled 
up the measure of its iniquities. The very pious and in- 
telligent Dr. Woodward expressed the same apprehension 
when preaching at the Boyle Lecture. " Whenever things 
are come to such extremity," says he, " that the laws of 
God are trampled on with insolence and boasting, and the 
mysteries of our holy religion are made the scorn and 
laughter of profane men : — if blasphemy and obscenity 
come into credit, and religion and virtue are pointed at as 
ridiculous ; — if it be thought a vain and mean thing to fear 
God, and to make serious mention of his name ; — if it even 
Decome unfashionable to praise our infinite Benefactor at 
eur tables, and to appear serious and devout in our 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



25 



churches ; — if the holy and tremendous name of the great 
and glorious God be not only vainly used, but vilely treated ; 
his sacred day levelled in common with the rest ; and his 
holy sacraments rejected by some and slighted by others ; 
— if these crying enormities are public and common, and 
there be no power or authority in church or state put forth 
to stem or control them ; — such a nation or people will, 
without a miracle, first become a horrible scene of atheism 
and impiety, and then of misery and desolation."* 



CHAPTER II. 

THE EARLY LIFE AND THE CONVERSION" OF THE TWO 
WESLEYS. 

That form of Christianity to which the name of Wes- 
leyan Methodism has been given arose, without any pre- 
vious plan, out of the united labours of the brothers, the 
Rev. John and Charles Wesley. These eminent men 
were born at Epworth, Lincolnshire, where their father, 
the Rev. Samuel Wesley, was the rector. He was a man 
of superior learning and of stern integrity ; and having in 
early life left the dissenters, and connected himself with 
the Established Church, his attachment to her interests 
and order was very strong. Their mother, Mrs. Susanna 
Wesley, was a woman of extraordinary sense and piety. 
She was a daughter of Dr. Samuel Annesley, a truly de- 
vout nonconformist minister ; and, like her husband, when 
young she quitted the ranks of dissent, and became a wor- 
shipper in the national establishment. In her subsequent 
life she expressed a decided aversion to what she called 
" the Presbyterian faith ;" and as the early training of her 

* Collection of Sermons preached at the Lecture founded by the 
Hon Robert Boyle, vol. ii, p. 546, folio edit., 1739. 

2 



26 



THE CENTENARY OF 



children devolved chiefly upon herself, she was careful, as 
might have been expected, to imbue their minds with the 
same views and feelings. In this work she was success- 
ful ; and her two sons, when they entered upon their pub- 
lic career, were among the strictest of strict Churchmen, 
and deemed it scarcely possible that salvation should be 
attained, at least in this country, in any religious com- 
munity but their own. 

Mr. John Wesley, the elder of the two brothers, was 
born June 14th, 1703. When about six years and a half 
old, he had an almost miraculous escape from death. One 
night it was discovered that the parsonage house was on 
fire ; and when the rest of the family had fled for their 
lives from the flaming mansion, they were distressed to 
find that he was missing, being asleep in one of the cham- 
bers, to which all access by the stairs was now cut off. 
In this terrible emergency he awoke and fled to the win- 
dow, from which he was taken by one of the neighbours, 
who stood upon the shoulders of another. Just then the 
roof fell in ; so that had his deliverance been delayed only 
for a few moments, he must have perished in the flames. 
Thus did a merciful Providence watch over the future heir 
of salvation, and spare him as the instrument of good to 
mankind. The grateful father, witnessing this singular 
interposition of the divine compassion, and finding himself 
surrounded by his wife and children, called upon all pre- 
sent to kneel down, and unite with him in grateful thanks- 
giving to God. " Let the house go," said he, " I am rich 
enough."* 

The child thus signally preserved became remarkable, 
under the training of his excellent mother, for the serious 
ness of his spirit, and the general propriety of his beha- 
viour ; so that, at the age of eight years he was admitted 



* Arminian Maga7\ne, vol. i, pp 32, 33. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



27 



to the sacrament of the Lord's supper. When he was 
eleven years old he was sent to the Charter-house School 
in London, where he was soon distinguished by his dili- 
gence and progress in learning. At seventeen he was 
elected to Christ Church, Oxford, where he pursued his 
studies to great advantage ; and at the age of twenty-one it 
is said that he appeared the very sensible and acute colle- 
gian, possessed of a fine classical taste, and the most liberal 
and manly sentiments. He was afterward elected a Fel- 
low of Lincoln College ; and was also appointed Greek lec- 
turer, and moderator of the classes. 

At Oxford Mr. Wesley laid the foundation of that sound 
and various learning in which he was known to excel, and 
which was of immense advantage to him in future life. 
When he had taken his degree as master of arts, and his 
time was at his own disposal, he pursued his studies with 
undiminished ardour. Monday and Tuesday in each week, 
he devoted to the Greek and Roman historians and poets ; 
Wednesday, to logic and ethics ; Thursday, to Hebrew 
and Arabic ; Friday, to metaphysics and natural philoso- 
phy ; and Saturday, to oratory and poetry, chiefly compo- 
sition. In the intermediate hours of close and set study 
he perfected himself in the French language, paid con- 
siderable attention to physic, and read a great variety of 
modern authors, carefully transcribing such passages as 
appeared to be particularly important. As the result of 
this application, he conversed fluently in Latin, and both 
spoke and wrote it with remarkable purity and correctness. 
The Greek Testament became as familiar to him as the 
English ; and his skill in logic has been rarely equalled, 
and perhaps never surpassed. 

Mr. Charles Wesley was born December 18th, 1708. 
Like the rest of the children, he received the first rudi- 
ments of learning from his inestimable mother ; and in the 
year 1716, being about eight years of age, he was sent to 



28 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Westminster School, and placed under the care of his 
eldest brother, Samuel, then an usher in that famous esta- 
blishment. By Samuel he was confirmed in those high- 
church principles, the impression of which he had doubt- 
less received under the paternal roof. He was sprightly 
and active ; apt to learn ; but arch and unlucky, though 
not ill-natured. From Westminster he removed to Oxford, 
where he entered at Christ Church, and afterward became 
a student of that college, — a title which embraces what in 
other colleges is usually called a fellowship. According 
to his own account, he wasted the first year of his resi- 
dence at the university in diversions ; but he afterward 
applied himself diligently to his studies, and graduated in 
the usual course. He attained to eminence in classical 
scholarship, his own poetic mind enabling him justly to 
appreciate the beauties of the great writers of antiquity. 

It was during their residence at Oxford that the two 
Wesleys became deeply impressed with a sense of the 
importance of religion. They saw it to be the great busi- 
ness of life, to which every other occupation and pursuit 
should be subordinated ; and they perceived, more clearly 
than ever, that it consists not in the performance of out- 
ward duties, but in a right state of the heart. John was 
the first that received these impressions, which were 
mainly produced by the reading of three books which suc- 
cessively fell in his way. The first was Bishop Taylor's 
" Holy Living and Dying ;" from which he learned that a 
simple intention to please God, is necessary in every ac- 
tion. The second was Kempis's " Christian's Pattern ;" 
which strengthened his conviction of the spirituality of 
true religion. The third was Mr. Law's " Serious Call 
to a Devout and Holy Life ;" in the principles of which 
he was further confirmed by the same writer's treatise on 
" Christian Perfection." All these works are well adapted 
to convince the man of the world that his pleasures are 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



29 



both vain and sinful ; and to make the formalist feel that 
his empty religion is not Christianity; but while they 
forcibly inculcate purity of heart as the essence of Chris- 
tian godliness, not one of them shows the manner in which 
that blessing is to be obtained. They preserve a com- 
plete silence respecting the faith by which the conscience 
is purged from dead works, and the very thoughts of the 
heart are made pure ; and therefore leave the reader en- 
gaged in the hopeless attempt to practise Christian holi- 
ness while he is under the power of sin. He is required 
to love God with all his heart ; but he receives no infor- 
mation concerning the manner in which he is to be saved 
from the condemnation to which he is liable on account 
of his past transgressions, and from " the carnal mind 
which is enmity against God." The imperfect instruction 
which the Wesleys thus received, at this period of their 
lives, left them unacquainted with the method in which 
the " ungodly" are justified ; and hence they were for 
many years unsuccessful in their efforts to attain that spi- 
rituality of mind which they saw to be both their duty 
and privilege. They served God from a principle of 
servile fear, rather than of constraining love. Theirs was 
not a filial spirit, but a spirit of bondage. They could not 
" rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in every 
thing give thanks :" for they had not as yet "received the 
atonement ;" nor did they see how the sacrificial blood of 
Christ, and the offices of the Holy Ghost, were to be made 
available in order to their present salvation from guilt, and 
from the evils of their fallen nature. 

Mr William Law, whose name often occurs in connec- 
tion with the early religious history of the Wesleys, was 
a nonjuring clergyman. Being attached to the house of 
Stuart, and refusing to swear allegiance to George I., he 
was incapable of holding any benefice, and of publicly per- 
forming any of the clerical functions. The English lan- 



30 



THE CENTENARY OF 



guage he wrote with uncommon purity, elegance, and 
strength ; and he enforced the duty of entire deadness to 
the world, and devotedness to God, with almost unex- 
ampled earnestness and power; but he appears never to 
have held correct views of the atonement of Christ, and 
of its bearing upon the justification of the ungodly. When 
Mr. John Wesley had obtained the true Scriptural and 
Protestant view of these subjects, he most faithfully ad- 
monished this erring casuist and ascetic, by whom he had 
been so grievously misled. In the latter part of his life, 
Mr. Law wandered still further from evangelical truth, and 
was swallowed up in the quagmire of Jacob Behmen's 
mystical philosophy. He died in the year 1761, at King's 
Cliffe, in Northamptonshire. He belonged to Emmanuel 
College, Cambridge, of which he was for some time a 
fellow ; and after he left the university, lived at Putney, 
London, Thrapston in Northamptonshire, and King's Cliffe, 
where he founded an almshouse. 

Mr. John Wesley received the deep religious convic- 
tions, to which reference has just been made, some years 
before his brother ; concerning whom he says, " He pur- 
sued his studies diligently, and led a regular, harmless 
life ; but if I spoke to him about religion, he would warmly 
answer, ' What, would you have me to be a saint all at 
once V and would hear no more." Such was the state 
of Charles's mind when John, having been ordained dea- 
con by Bishop Potter, September 19th, 1725, and priest 
the year folio wing, left Oxford in August, 1727, for the 
purpose of being his father's curate at Epworth and 
Wroote. John returned to Oxford, intending to take up 
his permanent residence there as a tutor, in November, 
1729 ; and was rejoiced to find that during his absence, 
and chiefly by means of his influence, his brother had be- 
come deeply serious, having for some months received 
the Lord's supper weekly, and prevailed upon two or 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



31 > 



three young men to do the same. These gentlemen had 
occasionally met together, to assist and encourage each 
other in their several duties. The exact regularity of 
their lives, as well as studies, occasioned a young gentle- 
man of Christ Church to say, " Here is a new set of 
Methodists sprung up ;" alluding, it is said, to some an- 
cient physicians who were so called. The name was 
new and quaint ; so it took immediately ; and the Method- 
ists were known all over the university. On Mr. John 
Wesley's arrival, he became one of their fraternity ; and 
the direction of their concerns was gladly committed to 
his superior judgment. 

Of this first Methodist society Mr. Wesley gives the 
following account: — "In November, 1729, four young 
gentlemen of Oxford, Mr. John Wesley, Fellow of Lin- 
coln College, Mr. Charles Wesley, student of Christ 
Church, Mr. Morgan, commoner of Christ Church, and 
Mr. Kirkman, of Merton College, began to spend some 
evenings in a week together, in reading chiefly the Greek 
Testament. The next year two or three of Mr. John 
Wesley's pupils desired the liberty of meeting with them ; 
and afterward one of Mr. Charles Wesley's pupils. It 
was in 1732 that Mr. Ingham of Queen's College, and 
Mr. Broughton, of Exeter, were added to their number. 
To these, in April was joined Mr. Clayton, of Brazennose, 
with two or three of his pupils. About the same time 
Mr. James Hervey was permitted to meet with them, and 
afterward Mr. Whitefield."* 

This was the first Methodist society. It consisted ex- 
clusively of young men, whose theological views were im- 
perfect, and whose experience was limited : yet they had 
a sincere desire to please God ; and in diligence, self-de- 
nial, and active benevolence, they far surpassed many who 



* Works, vol. v, p. 246, Am. edit. 



32 



THE CEtfTEKTARY OF 



have boasted of the superiority of their religious know- 
ledge, and have despised these simple-hearted worship- 
pers of God, and inquirers after truth. They instructed 
the children of the neglected poor ; they visited the sick, 
and the prisoners in the common jail, for whom no other 
men seemed to care ; they attended secret prayer, public 
worship, and the Lord's table with scrupulous exactness ; 
they observed the regular fasts of the church ; they as- 
sisted each other in their studies, and watched over each 
other's spiritual interests with kindness and fidelity ; and 
they conscientiously saved all the money that they could for 
pious and charitable purposes. Some grave men thought 
them " righteous overmuch," and attempted to dissuade 
them from an excess of piety ; while profane wits treated 
them with sarcasm and contempt : but these young disciples 
of the cross showed the strength and sincerity of their 
convictions, by patient perseverance in their plans of use- 
fulness and devotion. They consulted the elder Mr. Wes- 
ley, at Epworth, who urged them forward in the course 
upon which they had entered. 

An incident which Mr. Wesley has related in one of 
his sermons will serve to shoAv the tenderness of his con- 
science, and the serious light in which he viewed his re- 
sponsibility during this part of his college life. " When 
I was at Oxford," says he, "in a cold winter's day, a 
young maid (one of those we kept at school) called upon 
me. I said ' You seem half starved. Have you nothing 
to cover you but this thin linen gown V She said, ' Sir, 
this is all I have.' I put my hand in my pocket ; but 
found I had scarce any money left, having paid away what 
I had. It immediately struck me, ' Will thy Master say, 
Well done, good and faithful steward ? Thou hast adorned 
thy walls with the money which might have screened this 
poor creature from the cold ! O justice ! O mercy ! Are 
not these pictures the blood of this poor maid ? See thy 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 33 

expensive apparel in the same light ; thy gown, hat, head- 
dress ! Every thing about thee which cost more than 
Christian duty required thee to lay out is the blood of the 
poor ! O be wise for the time to come ! Be more merciful! 
more faithful to God and man ! more abundantly adorned 
with good works !' "* 

In another of his sermons, Mr. Wesley has given a very 
instructive view of the state of his heart at this period of 
his life, and of his ineffectual attempts to acquire the true 
Christian faith and love. " After carefully heaping up the 
strongest arguments I could find," says he, " either in an- 
cient or modern authors, for the very being of a God, and 
(which is nearly connected with it) the existence of an 
invisible world, I have wandered up and down musing 
with myself: What, if all these things which are around 
me, this earth, and heaven, this universal frame, has ex- 
isted from eternity ? What, if that melancholy supposition 
of the old poet be the real case, — 

'Oaj irep (j>vl?iO)v yevsn, toitjSe /cat avdpov ? 
What, if ' the generations of men be exactly parallel with 
the generation of leaves ;' if the earth drops its successive 
inhabitants just as the tree drops its leaves ? What, if that 
saying of a great man be really true ? — 

Post mortem nihil est, ipsaque mors nihil : 
• Death is nothing, and nothing is after death.' 

How am I sure that this is not the case ; that I £ have not 
followed cunningly devised fables V And I have pursued 
the thought till there was no spirit in me, and I was ready 
to 4 choose strangling rather than life.' "f 

With respect to the principles of divine love, he also 
inquires, " What can cold reason do in this matter ? It 
may present us with fair ideas ; it can draw a fine picture 
of love : but this is only a painted fire. And further than 



* Works, vol. ii, p. 262, Am. edit. t Ibid. vol. ii, p. 129. 
2* 



34 



THE CENTENARY OF 



this reason cannot go. I made the trial for many years. 
I collected the finest hymns, prayers, and meditations, 
which I could find in any language ; and I said, sung, or 
read them over and over, with all possible seriousness and 
attention. But still I was like the bones in EzekiePs 
vision : ' The skin covered them above ; but there was no 
breath in them.' "* 

The society in Oxford had not been long under the 
guidance of Mr. John Wesley before it was called to 
mourn the loss of Mr. Morgan, who died at the com- 
mencement of his religious course. He was the son of 
an Irish gentlemen, and evidently a person of fine temper 
and habits. Mr. Wesley addressed a letter to Mr. Mor- 
gan's father, stating several particulars respecting his de- 
ceased friend, and expressing the profoundest respect for 
his memory ; and Mr. Samuel Wesley, the younger, wrote 
a poem on the occasion of his death. Mr. Morgan led his 
brethren into one department of useful and self-denying 
labour, by visiting a murderer under sentence of death. 
The following lines from the poem just mentioned present 
a beautiful picture of his early piety, and of the spirit of 
the Oxford Methodists : — 

" Wise in his prime, he waited not for noon ; 
Convinced that mortal never lived too soon. 
As if foreboding then his little stay, 
He made his morning bear the heat of da}\ 
Fix'd, while unfading glory he pursues, 
No ill to hazard, and no good to lose ; 
No fair occasion glides unheeded by : 
Snatching the golden moments as they fly, 
He, by few fleeting years, ensures eternity. 
Friendship's warm beams his artless breast inspire, 
And tenderest reverence for a much-loved sire. 
He dared for heaven this flattering world forego, 
Ardent to teach, as diligent to know; 



* Works, vol. ii, p. 132, Am. edit. 



WESLEYANT METHODISM. 



Unwarp'd by sensual views, or vulgar aims, 

By idle riches, or by idler names ; 

Fearful of sin in every close disguise ; 

Unmoved by threatening, or by glozing lies. 

Seldom, indeed, the wicked came so far, 

Forced by his piety to defensive war ; 

Whose zeal for other men's salvation shown, 

Beyond the reach of hell secured his own. 

Gladdening the poor where'er his steps he tum'd ; 

Where pined the orphan, or the widow mourn'd ; 

Where prisoners sigh'd beneath guilt's horrid stain, 

The worst confinement, and the heaviest chain ; 

Where death's sad shade the uninstructed sight 

Veil'd with thick darkness in the land of light. 

Our Saviour thus fulfill'd his great design, 

(If human we may liken to divine,) 

Heal each disease that bodies frail endure, 

And preach'd th' unhoped-for gospel to the poor." 

It would appear that the death of this pious youth was 
answerable to his life. Hence it is added, — 

" He knew that works our faith must here employ, 
And that 'tis heaven's great business to enjoy. 
Fix'd on that heaven, he death's approaches saw, 
Nor vainly murmur'd at our nature's law ; 
Repined not that his youth so soon should go, 
N or grieved for fleeting pleasures here below. 
Of sharpest anguish scorning to complain, 
He fills with mirth the intervals of pain. 
Not only unappall'd, but joyful, sees 
The dark, cold passage that must lead to peace ; 
Strong with immortal bloom, secure to rise, 
The tears for ever banish'd from his eyes." 

Such was the death of the Methodist that was first 
called to enter into the world of spirits ; and we may well 
suppose that the peaceful and joyous end of a life so ex- 
emplary would afford strong encouragement to his sur- 
viving friends, who steadily held on their way, resolved, 



36 



THE CENTENARY OF 



if possible, to attain to that standard of holiness which 
their master, Mr. Law, so forcibly described. 

The health of Mr. Wesley, sen., now began rapidly to 
decline ; and he, in common with other members of the 
family, wished his son John to succeed him in the rectory 
of Ep worth. John, however, was inflexible in his refusal ; 
and neither the solicitations of his parents, nor the remon- 
strances of his elder brother, at all moved him from his 
purpose. He summed up his reasonings on this subject 
under twenty-six heads, which he transmitted in a long 
letter to his father ; but the true reason of his refusal did 
not then appear to his own mind. *' There are many de- 
vices in a man's heart ; nevertheless, the counsel of the 
Lord, that shall stand." Had he accepted the parochial 
charge of Epworth, the probability is, that his influence 
through life would have been confined within very narrow 
limits : whereas, he was reserved, in the designs of Provi- 
dence, for the benefit of the world. 

Mr. Wesley's father died in April, 1735, and the living 
of Epworth was given away in May following ; so that he 
now considered himself to be permanently fixed in the 
quiet retreat of Oxford, without future molestation ; and 
there he hoped to render important service to the Church 
by promoting the spirit of piety among the men who were 
designed for the Christian ministry. Yet his hopes in 
this respect were overruled. The trustees of the new 
colony of Georgia were greatly in want of zealous and 
active clergymen, both to take care of the spiritual con- 
cerns of the settlers, and to teach Christianity to the In- 
dian tribes in the neighbourhood. The Methodists of Ox- 
ford appeared likely to supply the desired agents ; and 
Mr. John Wesley was requested to accept an appoint- 
ment to that station. For a, considerable time he hesitated; 
but after consulting his mother, and other friends, he con- 
sented ; as did also his brother Charles, who received or- 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



3/ 



dination with a special reference to this service. They 
embarked at Gravesend on Tuesday, October 21st, accom- 
panied by Mr. Oglethorpe the governor, Mr. Benjamin 
Ingham, of Queen's College, Oxford, and Mr. Charles 
Delamotte, son of a merchant in London. " Our end in 
leaving our native country," says Mr. Wesley, " was not 
to avoid want, (God having given us a plenty of temporal 
blessings,) nor to gain the dung or dross of riches or 
honour ; but singly this, — to save our souls ; to live wholly 
to the glory of God."* 

Before Mr. Wesley left England he published a single 
sermon, which he probably intended as a sort of parting 
memorial, to be distributed among his friends. It dis- 
plays very deep seriousness of temper, and a solemn con- 
viction of the necessity of holiness ; but, at the same time, 
it proves that his views of Christian truth were as yet very 
inadequate. He describes the world as a vast hospital, 
and the afflictions of life as designed to cure the moral 
maladies of mankind. Yet he states that, to whatever ex- 
tent the healing process may be carried in this life, it is 
only in death that the best of men will be saved from all 
sin, which is conceived to dwell particularly in the earthly 
frame. The cleansing efficacy of the blood of Christ, and 
the quickening and purifying energy of the Holy Spirit, 
upon which the sacred writers lay so much stress, he al- 
most entirely overlooks. With the most upright inten- 
tions, but with these imperfect views of their calling, the 
brothers sailed for Georgia in the character of Christian 
missionaries. They had more thoroughly digested the 
powerful and elegant, but unevangelical writings of Mr. 
Law, than either the epistles of St. Paul, or the homilies 
of their own Church. 

One of the objects contemplated in the formation of the 

* Works, vol. iii, p. 45, Am. edit. 



33 



THE CENTENARY OF 



new colony was to provide an asylum for Protestants who 
were persecuted on the European continent ; and hence 
Mr. Wesley and his brethren found in the ship with them 
several members of the Moravian Church, from Germany, 
with Mr. Nitschman, one of their bishops. In these 
strangers the English Methodists beheld Christianity in a 
light more gentle, attractive, and consoling, than that in 
which they had ever before seen it. These devout exiles 
bore every inconvenience, and even insult, with the utmost 
meekness ; they were always ready to render the humblest 
service to their fellow-voyagers ; and in storms and hur- 
ricanes, while others were ready to die with fear, they 
calmly sang the praises of God, expressing a cheerful 
confidence and resignation in the prospect of being imme- 
diately swallowed up in the great deep. With the temper 
of these people the Wesleys were, at this time, personally 
unacquainted. Neither of them was delivered from the 
fear of death, and they had no just conception of the holy 
cheerfulness which is produced by an application of the 
blood of Christ to the conscience, and the abiding witness 
and operation of the heavenly Comforter. Theirs was a 
religion of fear and mortification, rather than of holy peace 
and joy. 

On their arrival at Georgia, the brothers were separated, 
John taking up his residence at Savannah, and Charles at 
Frederica, with the governor, to Avhom he sustained the 
office of secretary. They both applied themselves to their 
clerical duties with a diligence and fidelity of which the 
world has seen few examples. " As soon as I set foot 
in Georgia," says John, " I began preaching at five in 
the morning ; and every communicant, that is, every 
serious person in the town, constantly attended through- 
out the year : I mean, came every morning, winter and 
summer, unless in the case of sickness. They did so till 
I'left the province." In addition to this, he visited the 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



39 



people daily from house to house, and he catechised the 
children in the school every Saturday afternoon. The 
following is his own account of his labours on the sab- 
bath in the latter part of his residence at Savannah : — 
" The first English prayers lasted from five till half an 
hour past six. The Italian, which I read to a few Vau- 
dois, began at nine. The second service for the English, 
including the sermon and the holy communion, continued 
from half an hour past ten till about half an hour past 
twelve. The French service began at one. At two I 
catechised the children. About three I besran the En2- 
lish service. After this was ended, I had the happiness 
of joining with as many as my largest room would hold, 
in reading, prayer, and singing praise. And about six the 
service of the Moravians, so called, began, at which I was 
glad to be present, not as a teacher, but as a learner."* 
- These extraordinary labours, and the principles from 
which they proceeded, were ill appreciated by the great 
body of the colonists, who hated this incessant application 
to religious duties, and especially the strict ecclesiastical 
discipline which the brothers endeavoured to establish. 
Charles, at Frederica, was the innocent victim of a foul 
conspiracy, by means of which the governor was for a 
time deceived, and induced to treat his upright clerical 
secretary with a harshness and severity which had nearly 
proved fatal to his life. The wicked plot was afterward un- 
ravelled, and the governor, with expressions of the deepest 
regret for the course which he had pursued, gave to this 
persecuted man a ring, accompanied by the strongest 
declarations of his confidence and affection, and a request 
that it might be preserved as a perpetual token of his love. 
At the beginning of August Charles left Georgia, being 
intrusted with despatches to the trustees in England, and 
the governor himself left in November following. 

* Works, vol. iii, p. 45, A.m. edit. 



40 



THE CENTENARY OF 



The situation of John now became increasingly painful. 
The trustees had appointed him minister of Savannah, but 
to this appointment he had never consented. He had en- 
gaged to go to Georgia only for the purpose of instructing 
the Indians, and because of the unsettled state of the co- 
lony, there appeared no probability that he could fulfil this 
the only object of his mission. He therefore began to 
entertain serious thoughts of following his brother to Eng • 
land. In the meanwhile a prosecution against him was 
commenced, for having repelled a lady from the holy com- 
munion, the particulars of which he has given in his 
printed journal. He attended the court six or seven times, 
to answer for himself ; but finding that his persecutors 
determined to defer the trial and harass him by delay, he 
gave public notice of his intended departure, and openly 
embarked for England in the beginning of December, 1737, 
having served the colony as a minister one year and nearly 
nine months.* 

Mr. Wesley's mission to Georgia was of the utmost im- 
portance to himself, though he failed in the particular ob- 
ject which he had in view. His intercourse with the 
Moravian brethren served greatly to discover to him the 
true nature of Christianity. He admired their spirit during 
his voyage to Georgia, and on his arrival there he was 
introduced to Mr. Spangenberg, one of their pastors, whose 
advice he asked relative to his own conduct. The vene- 
rable German said, " My brother, I must first ask you one 

* The Rev. Robert Philip, in his recent. Life of Mr. Whitefield, 
has broadly insinuated that Mr. Wesley was guilty of some act of 
immorality in Georgia ; though he has not even attempted to give 
the slightest proof of this- most injurious allegation. Having ex- 
amined various original manuscripts, as well as printed documents, 
bearing upon this subject, I have no hesitation in declaring Mr. 
Philip's calumnious insinuation to be utterly unfounded. On this 
question I will join issue with him whenever he will produce his 
authority. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



43 



or two questions. Have you the witness within yourselfl 
Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit that 
you are a child of God ?" Mr. Wesley says, " I was sur- 
prised, and knew not what to answer. He observed it, 
and asked, { Do you know Jesus Christ V I paused, and 
said, ' I know he is the Saviour of the world.' 1 True,' 
replied he, ' but do you know he has saved you V I an- 
swered, ' I hope he has died to save me.' He only added, 
* Do you know yourself?' I said, 'I do ;' but I fear they 
were vain words."* 

He afterward took up a temporary residence in the 
house of these devout people ; and as they all lived in one 
room, he was with them from morning to night. He says, 
" They were always employed, always cheerful them- 
selves, and in good humour with one another. They had 
put away all anger, and strife, and wrath, and bitterness, 
and clamour, and evil-speaking. They walked worthy of 
the vocation wherewith they were called, and adorned the 
gospel of our Lord in all things." 

One day while he remained with them, he says, "They 
met to consult concerning the affairs of their church, Mr. 
Spangenberg being shortly to go to Pennsylvania, and 
Bishop Nitschman to return to Germany. After several 
hours spent in conference and prayer, they proceeded to 
the election and ordination of a bishop. The great sim- 
plicity, as well as solemnity, of the whole, almost made 
me forget the seventeen hundred years between, and 
imagine myself in one of those assemblies where form and 
state were not, but Paul the tent-maker, or Peter the fisher- 
man presided ; yet with the demonstration of the Spirit 
and of power,"f It is probable that these were the very 
first impressions which he received of the existence of 
Scriptural Christianity beyond the pale of his own church. 



* Works, vol. iii, p. 18, Am. edit. t Ibid, p 20 



42 



THE CENTENARY OF 



These impressions at length ripened into a truly catholic 
spirit, of which he lived and died an eminent example. 

During the voyage home his attention was especially 
directed to the state of his own heart ; and on Sunday, 
January 8th, he made the following entry in his Journal : 
K In the fulness of my heart I wrote the following words : 
By the most infallible proofs, inward feeling, I am con- 
vinced, — 

"1. Of unbelief ; having no such faith in Christ as will 
prevent my heart from being troubled ; which it could not 
be if I believed in God, and rightly believed also in him. 

"2. Of pride, throughout my life past ; inasmuch as I 
thought I had what I find I have not. 

" 3. Of gross irrecollection ; inasmuch as in a storm I 
cry to God every moment ; in a calm, not. 

" 4. Of levity and luxuriancy of spirit, recurring when- 
ever the pressure is taken off, and appearing by my speak- 
ing words not tending to edify ; but most by my manner 
of speaking of my enemies. 

" Lord, save, or I perish ! Save me, 

" 1. By such a faith as implies peace in life and death. 

" 2. By such humility as may fill my heart, from this 
hour for ever, with a piercing uninterrupted sense that I 
have done nothing hitherto ; having evidently built with- 
out a foundation. 

" 3. By such recollection as may cry to thee every mo- 
ment, especially when all is calm. Give me faith, or I 
die ; give me a lowly spirit ; otherwise let life be a burden 
to me. 

" 4. By steadiness, seriousness, ae/ivoryc, sobriety of 
spirit, avoiding, as fire, every word that tendeth not to 
edifying ; and never speaking of any who oppose me, or 
sin against God, without all my sins set in array before 
my face."* 

* Works, vol. iii, p. 53, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



43 



About a fortnight afterward he expressed himself in the 
following manner : — " I went to America to convert the 
Indians ; but ! who shall convert me 1 who, what is he 
that will deliver me from this evil heart of unbelief? I 
have a fair summer religion. I can talk well ; nay, and 
believe myself, while no danger is near. But let death 
look me in the face and my spirit is troubled. Nor can I 
say, 'To die is gain !' 

4 1 have a sin of fear that, when I 've spun 
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore.' 

" I think, verily, if the gospel be true, I am safe ; for I 
not only have given, and do give, all my goods to feed the 
poor ; I not only give my body to be burned, drowned, or 
whatever God shall appoint for me, but I follow after 
charity, (though not as I ought, yet as I can,) if haply I 
may attain it. I now believe the gospel is true. I show 
my faith by my works, by staking my all upon it. I would 
do so again and again a thousand times, if the choice were 
still to make. Whoever sees me sees I would be a Chris- 
tian. Therefore are my ways not like other men's ways. 
Therefore I have been, I am, I am content to be, a by- 
word, a proverb of reproach. But in a storm I think, 
' What if the gospel be not true ? Then thou art of all men 
most foolish. For what hast thou given thy goods, thy 
ease, thy friends, thy reputation, thy country, thy life ? 
For what art thou wandering over the face of the earth 1 
— a dream, a " cunningly devised fable ?" O who will de- 
liver me from this fear of death ? What shall I do ? Where 
shall I fly from it ? Should I fight against it by thinking, 
or by not thinking of it ?' "* 

Mr. Charles Wesley landed in England December 3d, 
1737 ; and his brother on the first of February, 1738. On 
again examining the state of his heart, and reviewing his 

* Works, vol. iii, p, 55, Am. edit. 



44 



THE CENTENARY OF 



past conduct, Mr. John Wesley was deeply convinced that 
he fell short of the true Christian character. " It is now," 
said he, " two years and almost four months since I left 
my native country, in order to teach the Georgian Indians 
the nature of Christianity ; but what have I learned myself in 
the mean time ? Why, (what I least of all suspected,) that 
I, who went to America to convert others, was never my- 
self converted to God. ' I am not mad,' though I thus 
speak ; but ' I speak the words of truth and soberness ;' 
if haply some of those who still dream may awake, and 
see, that as I am, so are they. 

" Are they read in philosophy ? So was I. In ancient 
or modern tongues ? So was I also. Are they versed in 
the science of divinity ? I too have studied it many years. 
Can they talk fluently upon spiritual things 1 The very 
same could I do. Are they plenteous in alms ? Behold, I 
gave all my goods to feed the poor. Do they give of their 
labour, as well as of their substance ? I have laboured 
more abundantly than they all. Are they willing to suffer 
for their brethren ? I have thrown up my friends, reputa- 
tion, ease, country ; I have put my life in my hand, wan- 
dering into strange lands ; I have given my body to be 
devoured by the deep, parched up with heat, consumed 
with toil and weariness, or whatsoever God should please 
to bring upon me. But does all this (be it more or less, 
it matters not) make me acceptable to God ? Does all I 
ever did or can know, say, give, do, or suffer, justify me 
in his sight ? Yea, or the constant use of all the means of 
grace ? (which, nevertheless, is meet, right, and our bounden 
duty.) Or that I know nothing of myself ; that I am, as 
touching outward moral righteousness, blameless ? Or (to 
come closer yet) the having a rational conviction of all the 
truths of Christianity ? Does all this give me a claim to 
the holy, heavenly, divine character of a Christian ? By 
no means. If the oracles of God are true, if we are still 



V," E 5 L E Y A N* METHODISM. 



45 



to abide by ' the law and the testimony,' all these things, 
though when ennobled by faith in Christ they are holy, 
and just, and good, yet without it are dung and dross, meet 
only to be purged away by the fire that never shall be 
quenched. 

" This, then, have I learned in the ends of the earth, — 
that I am fallen short of the glory of God : that my whole 
heart is altogether corrupt and abominable ; and, conse- 
quently, my whole life ; (seeing it cannot be that an evil 
tree should bring forth good fruit ;) that alienated, as I am, 
from the life of God, I am a child of wrath, an heir of hell : 
that my own works, my own sufferings, my own righteous- 
ness, are so far from reconciling me to an offended God, 
so far from making any atonement for the least of those 
sins which are more in number than the hairs of my head, 
that the most specious of them need an atonement them- 
selves, or they cannot abide his righteous judgment ; that 
having: the sentence of death in my heart, and having no- 
thing in or of myself to plead, I have no hope but that of 
being justified freely through the redemption that is in Je- 
sus. I have no hope but that if I seek. I shall find Christ, 
and be ' found in him, not having my own righteousness, 
but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteous- 
ness which is of God by faith.' 

" If it be said that I have faith, (for many such things 
have I heard from many miserable comforters,) I answer, 
So have the devils a sort of faith ; but still they are stran- 
gers to the covenant of promise. So the apostles had even 
at Cana in Galilee, when Jesus first ; manifested forth his 
glory even then they, in a sort, 1 believed on him but 
they had not then 'the faith that overcometh the world.' 
The faith I want is, 1 a sure trust and confidence in God, 
that, through the merits of Christ, my sins are forgiven, 
and I reconciled to the favour of God.' I want that faith 
which St. Paul recommends to all the world, especially 



46 



THE CENTENARY OF 



in his epistle to the Romans : that faith which enables 
every one that hath it to cry out, 8 1 live not ; but Christ 
liveth in me ; and the life which I now live, I live by 
faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself 
for me.' I want that faith which none can have without 
knowing that he hath it ; (though many imagine they have 
it who have it not ;) for whosoever hath it is freed from 
sin, the whole body of sin is destroyed in him. He is 
freed from fear, having ' peace with God through Christ, 
and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.' And he is 
free from doubt, having ' the love of God shed abroad in 
his heart through the Holy Ghost, which is given unto 
him ;' which ' Spirit itself beareth witness with his spirit 
that he is a child of God.' "* 

These convictions, painful and humiliating as they were 
to a man who had done and suffered so much in what he 
conceived to be the cause of true religion, were strength- 
ened and confirmed by his intercourse with Peter Bohler, 
a learned minister of the Moravian Church, who arrived 
in England at this time. He was introduced to this dis- 
tinguished German at the house of a Dutch merchant in 
London, on the 7th of this month, and omitted no oppor- 
tunity of conversing with him till the beginning of May, 
when this pious stranger embarked for Carolina. Mr. 
Wesley appears to have derived more evangelical light 
from Peter Bohler than from any other man with whom 
he had been acquainted up to this period. The following 
notices in his Journal show the deep impression which 
Border's conversation made upon his mind : — 

" Friday, 17th, I set out for Oxford with Peter Bohler. 
Saturday, 18th, we went to Stanton-Harcourt, to Mr. Gam- 
bold. All this time I conversed much with Peter Bohler, 
but I understood him not ; and least of all when he said, 



* Works, vol. iii, p. 57, Am. edit. 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



1 My brother, my brother, that philosophy of yours must be 
purged away !' 

" Saturday, March 4th, I found my brother at Oxford, 
recovering from his pleurisy; and with him Peter Bohler; 
by whom (in the hand of the great God) I was, on Sunday 
the 5th, clearly convinced of unbelief, of the want of that 
faith whereby alone we are saved. Immediately it struck 
into my mind, 1 Leave off preaching. How can you preach 
to others, who have not faith yourself ?' I asked Bohler 
whether he thought I should leave it off or not. He an- 
swered, ' By no means.' I asked, ' But what can I preach?' 
He said, ' Preach faith till you have it ; and then, because 
you have it, you will preach faith.' 

" Accordingly, Monday 6th, I began preaching this new 
doctrine, though my soul started back from the work. 
The first person to whom I offered salvation, by faith 
alone, was a prisoner under sentence of death. His name 
was Clifford. Peter Bohler had many times desired me 
to speak to him before. But I could not prevail on myself 
to do so ; being still (as I had been many years) a zealous 
asserter of the impossibility of a death-bed repentance. 

" Thursday, 23d, I met Peter Bohler again, who now 
amazed me more and more by the account he gave of the 
fruits of living faith — the holiness and happiness which 
he affirmed to attend it. The next morning- I began the 
Greek Testament again, resolving to abide by ' the law 
and the testimony ;' and being confident that God would 
hereby show me whether this doctrine was of God. 

" Saturday, April 22d, I met Peter Bohler once more. 
I had now no objection to what he said of the nature of 
faith ; namely, that it is, (to use the words of our church,) 
' a sure trust and confidence which a man hath in God, 
that through the merits of Christ his sins are forgiven, and 
he reconciled to the favour of God.' Neither could I deny 
either the happiness or holiness which he described as 



•IS 



THE CENTENARY OF 



fruits of this living faith. ' The Spirit itself beareth wit- 
ness with our spirit, that we are the children of God 
and, 1 he that believeth hath the witness in himself ;' fully- 
convinced me of the former ; as, ' whatsoever is born of 
God doth not commit sin,' and 'whosoever believeth is 
born of God,' did of the latter. But I could not compre- 
hend what he spoke of an instantaneous work. I could 
not understand how this faith should be given in a moment ; 
how a man could at once be thus turned from darkness to 
light, from sin and misery to righteousness and joy in the 
Holy Ghost. I searched the Scriptures again, touching 
this very thing, particularly the Acts of the Apostles ; but, 
to my utter astonishment, found scarce any instances there 
of other than instantaneous conversions ; scarce any so 
slow as that of St. Paul, who was three days in the pangs 
of the new birth. I had but one retreat left, namely, 1 Thus 
I grant God wrought in the first ages of Christianity ; but 
the times are changed. What reason have I to believe he 
works in the same manner now ?' 

" But on Sunday, 23d, I was beat out of this retreat, too, 
by the concurring evidence of several living witnesses, 
who testified God had thus wrought in themselves ; giving 
them in a moment such a faith in the blood of his Son, as 
translated them out of darkness into light, out of sin and 
fear into holiness and happiness. Here ended my dis- 
puting. I could only cry out, ' Lord, help thou my un- 
belief !' 

" I asked Peter Bohler again, whether I ought not to 
refrain from teaching others. He said, ' No ; do not hide 
in the earth the talent God hath given you.' Accordingly, 
on Tuesday, 25th, I spoke clearly and fully at Blendon, 
to Mr. Delamotte's family, of the nature and fruits of faith. 
Mr. Broughton and my brother were there. Mr. Brough- 
ton's great objection was, he could never think that I had 
not faith, who had done and suffered such things. My 



WESLEVAN METHODISM. 



49 



brother was very angry, and told me I did not know what 
mischief I had done by talking thus. And indeed it did 
please God then to kindle a fire, which I trust shall never 
be extinguished. 

" On Wednesday, 26th, Peter Bohler walked with me 
a few miles, and exhorted me not to stop short of the grace 
of God. 

" Wednesday, May 3d, my brother had a long and par- 
ticular conversation with Peter Bohler. And it now pleased 
God to open his eyes ; so that he also saw clearly what 
was the nature of that one true living faith whereby alone, 
through grace, we are saved. 

" Thursday, 4th, Peter Bohler left London, in order to 
embark for Carolina. O what a work hath God begun 
since his coming into England ! such a one as shall never 
come to an end till heaven and earth pass away." 

On his arrival at Southampton, Bohler addressed a very 
affectionate Latin letter to Mr. Wesley, urging him to the 
immediate exercise of faith in Christ, that he might be 
saved from the guilt and power of sin, and filled with peace, 
and joy, and holy love. 

When the doctrine of salvation from sin by faith in the 
Lord Jesus, accompanied by the inward witness of adop- 
tion, was first proposed to Mr. Charles Wesley, he op- 
posed it with all his might, and was very angry with his 
brother for entertaining principles so directly contrary to 
those which Mr. Law had taught them, and which they 
had so cordially entertained. About this time he had a 
severe illness, so that his life was in imminent danger. 
When his sufferings were excruciating, and it was doubt- 
ful whether he could survive many hours, he was visited 
by Bohler. " I asked him," says Mr. Charles Wesley, 
" to pray for me." He seemed unwilling at first ; but be- 
ginning faintly, he raised his voice by degrees, and prayed 
for my recovery with strange confidence. Then he took 

3 



50 



THE CENTENARY OF 



me by the hand, and calmly said, ' You will not die now.' 
I thought within myself, ' I cannot hold out in this pain 
till morning.' He said, ' Do you hope to be saved V I 
answered, ' Yes.' ' For what reason do you hope to be 
saved?' ' Because I have used my best endeavours to serve 
God.' He shook his head, and said no more. I thought 
him very uncharitable, saying in my heart, 'What, are not 
my endeavours a sufficient ground of hope 1 Would he 
rob me of my endeavours ? I have nothing else to trust 
to.' "* 

Mr. Charles Wesley, who was thus offended with the 
doctrine of free and present salvation from sin by faith in 
Christ, turned his anxious and prayerful attention to the 
subject, and was soon led to concur in sentiment with his 
brother and the devout German. Hitherto John had al- 
ways taken the lead in matters of a religious nature ; but 
this order was now reversed. Charles, who had been the 
last to receive the doctrine in question, was the first to 
realize its truth in his own experience. On the morning 
of Whitsunday, May 21st, having had a second return of 
his illness, and his brother and some other friends having 
spent the preceding night in prayer for him, he awoke in 
the earnest hope of soon attaining the object of his desire 
— the knowledge of God reconciled in Christ Jesus. 
About nine o'clock his brother and some friends visited 
him, and sang a hymn suited to the day. When they had 
left him he betook himself to prayer. Soon afterward one 
of his religious acquaintance said to him, in a very im- 
pressive manner, " Believe in the name of Jesus of Naza- 
reth, and thou shalt be healed of all thine infirmities." 
The words went to his heart, and animated him with con- 
fidence ; and in reading various passages of Scripture he 
was enabled to trust in Christ, as set forth to be a propi- 

* Whitehead's Lives of John and Charles Wesley, vol. i, 
p. 154. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



51 



tiation for his sins, through faith in his blood, and received 
that peace and rest in God which he so earnestly sought. 

Three days afterward Mr. John Wesley received the 
same blessing. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, 
he says, " I had continual sorrow and heaviness in my 
heart. : something of which I described in the broken man- 
ner I was able, in the following letter to a friend: — O, why 
is it that so great, so wise, so holy a God will use such an 
instrument as me ! Lord, ' let the dead bury their dead !' 
But wilt thou send the dead to raise the dead ? Yea, thou 
sendest whom thou mlt send, and showest mercy by whom 
thou wilt show mercy ; Amen ! Be it then according to 
thy will ! If thou speak the word, Judas shall cast out 
devils. 

" I see that the whole law of God is holy, just, and 
good. I know every thought, every temper of my soul, 
ought to bear God's image and superscription. But how 
am I fallen from the glory of God ! I feel that I am sold 
under sin. I know that I too deserve nothing but wrath, 
being full of all abominations, and having no good thing 
in me to atone for them, or to remove the wrath of God. 
All my works, my righteousness, my prayers, need an 
atonement for themselves. So that my mouth is stopped. 
I have nothing to plead. God is holy. I am unholy. 
God is a consuming fire. I am altogether a sinner, meet 
to be consumed. 

" Yet I hear a voice (and is it not the voice of God ?) 
saying, ' Believe, and thou shait be saved.' ' He that be- 
lieveth is passed from death unto life.' 1 God so loved 
the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that who- 
soever belieA 7 eth in him should not perish, but have ever- 
lasting life.' 

" let no one deceive us by vain words, as if we had 
already attained this faith ! By its fruits we shall know. 
Do we already feel 'peace with God,' and 'joy in the 



52 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Holy Ghost ?' ' Does his Spirit bear witness with our 
spirit, that we are the children of God V Alas ! with mine 
he does not. Nor, I fear, with yours. O, thou Saviour 
of men, save us from trusting in any thing but thee ! Draw 
us after thee ! Let us be emptied of ourselves, and then 
fill us with all peace and joy in believing ; and let nothing 
separate us from thy love in time or eternity." 

His prayer was heard. " On Wednesday evening," 
says he, " I went very unwillingly to a society in Alders- 
gate-street, where one was reading Luther's preface to 
the epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, 
while he was describing the change which God works in 
the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely 
warmed ; I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for sal- 
vation ; and an assurance was given me that he had taken 
away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of 
sin and death. 

I began to pray with all my might for those who had 
in a more especial manner despitefully used me, and per- 
secuted me. I then testified openly to all there what I 
now first felt in my heart."* 

From this time the two brothers were new men. A 
sensible application of the blood of Christ to their con- 
sciences rendered them cheerful and happy, and produced 
in their hearts an intense love to their Saviour. Having 
obtained by the simple exercise of faith in Christ not only 
the abiding witness of the pardoning and adopting mercy 
of God, but also that purity of heart which they had long 
unsuccessfully endeavoured to obtain by works of right- 
eousness and law, they were astonished at their former 
errors, and longed to make known the great salvation 
which is thus attainable by all. Before this period they 
served God because they feared him ; now they loved 



* Works, vol. iii, p. 74, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 53 

him from a joyous assurance that he had first loved them. 
They confessed that, up to this period, they had been 
mere servants of God ; now they stood in a filial relation 
to him ; and because they were sons, God sent forth the 
Spirit of his Son into their hearts crying, Abba, Father. 
They had laboured with all fidelity to benefit mankind, 
because they felt this to be their duty ; but now the love 
of Christ kindled in their breasts a generous and yearning 
affection for the whole human race, and a willingness even 
to lay down their lives, if others might only be converted 
and saved. 

Charles, with his bodily strength impaired by illness, 
immediately began, in private conversations, wherever he 
went, to recommend to others the salvation which he had 
so happily experienced, and with most encouraging suc- 
cess. In one month no less than thirty persons professed 
to have received the peace and joy of faith in the several 
private meetings at which he was present. Among these 
was the Rev. Henry Piers, the vicar of Bexley, with whom 
he had become acquainted in consequence of his visits to 
the Delamotte family at Blendon, who regularly attended 
the Bexley church on the Lord's day. Mr. Piers intro- 
duced the Wesleys to the Rev. Vincent Perronet, the pious 
vicar of Shoreham, who became one of the most valued 
and faithful of their friends. Mr. Piers was present at 
the first Methodist Conference which was held in London. 
He also published a very faithful sermon which he ad- 
dressed to the clergy at Sevenoaks, about the same period. 

Before he left Georgia, Mr. John Wesley resolved, if 
possible, to visit the Moravian settlement at Hernhuth, in 
Upper Lusatia ; a place which is situated on the borders 
of Bohemia, and about thirty English miles from Dresden ; 
and he availed himself of this opportunity to fulfil his pur- 
pose. On his arrival he was deeply impressed with the 
order and godly discipline of the church, as there pre- 



54 



THE CENTENARY OF 



sented to his view, and still more with the discourses 
which he heard from the pulpit, and the religious expe- 
rience of the brethren with whom he conversed. They 
all declared, as with one voice, that they had been made 
permanently happy and holy by believing in Christ ; so 
that he was greatly strengthened and confirmed in those 
views of the truth which he had now received, and which 
he was unconsciously preparing to preach to others with 
almost unexampled publicity and effect. 



% CHAPTER III. 

MEASURES ADOPTED BY THE WESLEYS FOR THE REVIVAL 
OF RELIGION. 

FIELD PREACHING. 

When Mr. Wesley returned from Germany, he imme- 
diately began, with his characteristic diligence to preach 
justification by faith ; with the penitential sorrow by which 
it is preceded, and the peace and holiness which invaria- 
bly follow it. He did this in some of the churches of 
London, but more frequently in what he calls " societies," 
which then met in various parts of London and its vicinity. 
They are well described by Dr. Woodward, and had long 
been very useful in different parts of the land. It was at 
one of these " societies," in Aldersgate-street, that he had 
some months before found rest to his soul ; and as they 
consisted almost entirely of professed members of the Es- 
tablished Church, he seemed, as a matter of course, to 
claim relationship to them. In these small assemblies, 
which appear to have generally met in private houses, he 
declared what God had done for his soul, and exhorted 
the people also to taste and see that the Lord is gracious. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



55 



Many believed the report, and were made happy in the 
God of their salvation. 

He was thus employed when he received a letter from 
his friend, Mr. Whitefield, recently returned from America, 
and now in Bristol, earnestly pressing him to come to that 
city without delay. On his arrival, he says, " I could 
scarce reconcile myself, at first, to this strange way of 
preaching in the fields, of which he set me the example 
on the Sunday ; having been all my life (till very lately) 
so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order 
that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a 
sin, if it had not been done in a church." On the follow- 
ing day, Mr. Whitefield having left Bristol, Mr. Wesley 
says, " At four in the afternoon I submitted to be more 
vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of 
salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground ad- 
joining to the city to about three thousand people."* 

This was not the first time that Mr. Wesley had preached 
in the open air. He did this in Georgia, before Mr. White- 
field was ordained ;f but it does not appear that he had 
any intention of resuming the practice in England, till he 
was stimulated by the example and urgent advice of his 
friend. But having once adopted this mode of imparting 
religious instruction to the neglected classes of the com- 
munity, he never abandoned it to the end of his life, being 
deeply convinced of its utility, and strenuously recom- 
mending the frequent use of it to all the preachers who 
laboured in connection with him. He confined not these 
labours to Bristol, but extended them to Bath, and espe- 
cially to the colliers at Kingswood, being often surrounded 
by many thousands of willing and attentive hearers. 

On his return to London, in June following, he accom- 
panied Mr. Whitefield to Blackheath, where about twelve 

* Works, vol. iii, pp. 126, 127, Am. edit, t Ibid. vol. vi, p. 94. 



56 



THE CENTENARY OF 



or fourteen thousand people were assembled to hear the 
word. At Mr. Whitefield's request, Mr. Wesley preached 
in his stead ; and afterward, for many years, addressed 
similar, and even larger multitudes in Moorfields, and at 
Kennington-common, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and other 
parts of England, Wales, and Ireland. 

As Mr. Charles Wesley recovered his strength, he 
preached in different churches, and frequently to the felons 
in Newgate, to whom he paid a most anxious and com- 
passionate attention. He often visited them in their cells, 
composed hymns for their use, explained to them the way 
of salvation through faith in Christ, and exhorted them to 
trust in his atonement for pardon and eternal life. Not a 
few appeared, through his instrumentality, to be brought 
to repentance, and to a due preparation for the death to 
which they were appointed. Having recovered his 
strength, and being strenuously urged by Mr. Whitefield, 
on the 24th of June, 1739, he says, " I prayed, and went 
forth in the name of Jesus Christ. I found near a thou- 
sand helpless sinners waiting for the word in Moorfields. 
I invited them in, my Master's words, as well as name, 
' Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
and I will give you rest.' The Lord was with me, even 
me, the meanest of his messengers, according to his pro- 
mise. At St. Paul's, the psalms, lessons, &c, for the day, 
put. new life into me ; and so did the sacrament. My load 
was gone, and all my doubts and scruples. God shone on 
my path, and I knew this was his will concerning me. I 
walked to Kennington-common, and cried to multitudes 
upon multitudes, ' Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' 
The Lord was my strength, and my mouth, and my wis- 
dom. that all would therefore praise the Lord for his 
goodness !" A few weeks afterward, he preached to about 
ten thousand people in Moorfields ; and for several years 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



57 



he followed, with equal steps, both his brother and Mr. 
Whiteheld, in laborious zeal and public usefulness. 

The Wesleys were led to adopt this very unusual pro- 
ceeding through the force of circumstances, and a strong 
sense of duty ; and not in consequence of any plan which 
they had previously conceived. When Mr. John Wesley 
returned from Georgia, he says, " I was in haste to retire 
to Oxford, and bury myself in my beloved obscurity ; but 
I was detained in London, week after week, by the trus- 
tees for the colony of Georgia. In the mean time I was 
continually importuned to preach in one and another 
church ; and that not only morning, afternoon, and night, 
on Sunday, but on week-days also. As I was lately come 
from a far country, vast multitudes nocked together ; but, 
in a short time, partly because of those unwieldy crowds, 
partly because of my unfashionable doctrine, I was ex- 
cluded from one and another church, and, at length, shut 
out of all ! Not daring to be silent, after a short struggle 
between honour and conscience, I made a virtue of ne- 
cessity, and preached in the middle of Moorfields. Here 
were thousands upon thousands, abundantly more than 
any church could contain ; and numbers among them who 
never went to any church or place of public worship at 
all. More and more of them were cut to the heart, and 
came to me all in tears, inquiring, with the utmost eager- 
ness, what they must do to be saved."* 

He speaks more largely on the same subject in another 
place, where he says, " I believe it may be satisfactory to 
some readers, if I relate how I began to preach in this 
manner : — 

" I was ordained deacon in 1725, and priest in the year 
following. But it was many years after this before I was 
convinced of the great truths above recited. During all that 

* Works, vol. i, p. 93, Am. edit. 
3* 



58 



THE CENTENARY OF 



time I was utterly ignorant of the nature and condition of 
justification. Sometimes I confounded it with sanctifica- 
tion ; (particularly when I was in Georgia ;) at other times 
I had some confused notion about the forgiveness of sin ; 
but then I took it for granted the time of this must be 
either the hour of death, or the day of judgment. 

" I was equally ignorant of the nature of saving faith ; 
apprehending it to mean no more than a ' firm assent to 
all the propositions contained in the Old and New Testa- 
ments.' 

"As soon as, by the great blessing of God, I had a 
clearer view of these things, I began to declare them to 
others also. ' I believed, and therefore I spake.' Where- 
ever I was now desired to preach, salvation by faith was 
my only theme. My constant subjects were, ' Believe in 
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' 'Him 
hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give 
repentance and remission of sins.' These I explained 
and enforced with all my might, both in every church 
where I was asked to preach, and occasionally in the re- 
ligious societies of London and Westminster ; to some or 
other of which I was continually pressed to go by the 
stewards or other members of them. 

" Things were in this posture, when I was told I must 
preach no more in this, and this, and another church : the 
reason was usually added without reserve, ' Because you 
preach such doctrines.' So much the more those who 
could not hear me there flocked together when I was at 
any of the societies ; where I spoke more or less, though 
with much inconvenience, to as many as the room I was 
in would contain. 

" But after a time, finding these rooms could not con- 
tain a tenth part of the people that were earnest to hear, 
I determined to do the same thing in England, which I 
had often done in a warmer climate, namely, when -the 



WEST.EYAN METHODISM. 



59 



house would not contain the congregation, to preach in 
the open air. This I accordingly did, first at Bristol, 
where the society rooms were exceedingly small, and at 
Kingswood, where we had no room at all ; afterward, in 
or near London. 

" And I cannot say I have ever seen a more awful sight, 
than when, on Rose-green, or the top of Hannam-mount, 
some thousands of people were calmly joined together in 
solemn waiting upon God, while 

' They stood, and under open air adored 
The God who made both air, earth, heaven, and sky.' 

And whether they were listening to his word with atten- 
tion still as night, or were lifting up their voice in praise 
as the sound of many waters, many a time have I been 
constrained to say in my heart, ' How dreadful is this 
place ! This,' also, ' is no other than the house of God ! 
This is the gate of heaven !' 

" Be pleased to observe : (1.) That I was forbidden, as 
by a general consent, to preach in any church, (though 
not by any judicial sentence,) 1 for preaching such doc- 
trine.' This was the open, avowed cause ; there was at 
that time no other, either real or pretended, except that 
the people crowded so. (2.) That I had no desire or de- 
sign to preach in the open air, till after this prohibition. 
(3.) That when I did, as it was no matter of choice, so 
neither of premeditation. There was no scheme at all 
previously formed, which was to be supported thereby ; 
nor had I any other end in view than this, — to save as 
many souls as I could. (4.) Field-preaching was there- 
fore a sudden expedient, a thing submitted to, rather than 
chosen ; and therefore submitted to, because I thought 
preaching even thus better than not preaching at all : 
First, in regard to my own soul, because ' a dispensation 
of the gospel being committed to me,' I did not dare ' not 
to preach the gospel ;' secondly, in regard to the souls of 



60 



THE CENTENARY OF 



others, whom I everywhere saw ' seeking death in the 
error of their life.' "* 

These extrordinary efforts were severely censured by 
many persons, as disorderly and irregular : but they were 
clearly justified by Scripture precedent, our blessed Lord 
and his apostles frequently preaching in the open air, as 
well as in the Jewish temple and synagogues. They 
were also justified by the necessity of the case : for it was 
only in this manner that the masses of ignorant and wicked 
people, with which England at that time abounded, could 
be effectually reached. They never attended any place 
of worship whatever ; so that unless they had been fol- 
lowed to their haunts of ungodliness and dissipation, they 
must have perished without knowledge and without hope. 
The spiritual and moral benefit arising from field-preach- 
ing was incalculable ; so that Mr. Wesley said, " It were 
better for me to die, than not to preach the gospel ; yea, 
and in the fields, either where I may not preach in the 
church, or where the church will not contain the congre- 
gation."! 

When he had been accustomed thus to preach in Lon- 
don for more than twenty years, he says, ' ; A vast majority 
of the immense congregation in Moorfields were deeply 
serious. One such hour might convince any impartial 
man of the expediency of field-preaching. What building, 
except St. Paul's church, would contain such a congrega- 
tion ? And if it would, what human voice could have 
reached them there 1 By repeated observations, I find I 
can command thrice the number in the open air that I can 
under a roof. And who can say the time for field-preach- 
ing is over, while — 1. Greater numbers than ever attend : 
"2. The converting as well as the convincing power of 
God is eminently present with them ?"| 

* Works, vol. v, pp. 80, 81, Am. edit, t Ibid. vol. vi, p. 638. 
t Ibid. vol. iv, p. 46. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



61 



The self-denial .of the men who thus went forth into the 
highways and hedges, that they might instruct the igno- 
rant and reclaim the lost, is very obvious ; especially when 
it is recollected that their talents and education were of 
the first order, and such as qualified them to occupy a 
place in the highest society, as well as to excel in every 
branch of polite learning. Mr. Wesley thus forcibly ex- 
presses himself in his " Earnest Appeal :" — " Suppose 
field-preaching to be ever so expedient, or even necessary; 
yet who will contest with us for this province ? May we 
not enjoy this quiet and unmolested ? unmolested, I mean, 
by any competitors. For who is there among you, bre- 
thren, that is willing (examine your own hearts) even to 
save souls from death at this price ? Would not you let a 
thousand souls perish, rather than you would be the instru- 
ment of rescuing them thus ? I do not speak now with re- 
gard to conscience, but to the inconveniences that must 
accompany it. Can you sustain them if you would ? Can 
you bear the summer sun to beat upon your naked head ? 
Can you suffer the wintry rain or wind, from whatever 
quarter it blows ? Are you able to stand in the open air, 
without any covering or defence, when God casteth abroad 
his snow like wool, or scattereth his hoarfrost like ashes ? 
And yet these are some of the smallest inconveniences 
which accompany field-preaching. Far beyond all these 
are the contradiction of sinners, the scoffs both of the 
great vulgar and the small ; contempt and reproach of 
every kind ; often more than verbal affronts ; stupid, brutal 
violence ; sometimes to the hazard of health, or limbs, or 
life. Brethren, do you envy us this honour? What, I 
pray, would buy you to be a field-preacher? Or what, 
think you, could induce any man of common sense to con- 
tinue therein one year, unless he had a full conviction in 
himself that it was the will of God concerning him ? 

" Upon this conviction it is that we now do, for the good 



62 



THE CENTENARY OF 



of souls, what you cannot, will not, dare not do. And we 
desire not that you should ; but this one thing we may 
reasonably desire of you : Do not increase the difficulties 
which are already so great that, without the mighty power 
of God, we must sink under them. Do not assist in tram- 
pling down a little handful of men who, for the present, 
stand in the gap between ten thousand poor wretches and 
destruction, till you find some others to take their place."* 
When the Wesleys went forth into the open air, that 
they might preach the word of life, they in effect declared 
the depth of their religious convictions. Sometimes they 
met with a kind reception from the multitudes ; but they 
often experienced the rudest and most determined opposi- 
tion, especially in the earlier periods of their itinerant 
ministry. In pursuance of their calling, they exposed 
themselves to the heat of the summer's sun, and to the 
winter's cold ; the rain, hail, and snow often falling upon 
their naked heads ; while stones, putrid eggs, and every 
other species of hurtful and filthy missile flew in all direc- 
tions, and profane men treated them either with contemp- 
tuous laughter or bitter scorn. " Howbeit, certain men," 
enlightened and impressed under their word, in almost 
every place, " clave unto them," and requested that they 
might be admitted to the benefit of Christian fellowship, 
and of pastoral care. 

THE FORMATION OF SOCIETIES. 

One unavoidable effect of the powerful preaching of 
the Wesleys was the formation of religious societies. 
Many of the people, being deeply impressed with the truth 
which they heard, became alarmed for the consequences 
of their sin, and desired farther instruction in the way of 
salvation ; and those who had been renewed in the spirit 



* Works, vol. v, pp. 163, 164, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



63 



of their minds longed for those spiritual helps which Chris- 
tian fellowship supplies. Hence such as were awakened 
to a right perception of divine things were, at their own 
request, united together, for their mutual comfort and edi- 
fication. 

Several distinct Methodist societies were indeed formed, 
and most of them dissolved, before what are called the 
United Societies, as now existing, were organized. The 
first was that at Oxford, which continued from 1729 to the 
year 1736, when it was perhaps broken up in consequence 
of the removal of the Wesleys to Georgia. The second 
was that at Savannah, which met in the house of Mr. 
Wesley every Sunday afternoon, and was discontinued 
when he returned to England. The third began in Lon- 
don, on the 1st of May, 1738, under the advice and en- 
couragement of Peter Bohler. It consisted of forty or 
fifty persons, many of whom appear to have been the per- 
sonal friends of the two Wesleys, and, like them, piously 
disposed. The brothers, it will be recollected, had not, 
at that time, attained the true Christian faith, by which 
the ungodly are justified, and the heart is freed from the 
power of sin. The rules of this society were peculiar, and 
not adapted to general use. Soon after this society was 
constituted, Peter Bohler left England ; Mr. Charles Wes- 
ley lost his health ; and his brother went to Germany. 
Yet it continued to meet and to increase, so that in the 
January following it amounted to sixty people. This so- 
ciety met at Fetter-lane, in connection with the Moravian 
Church, with whom several of its members were ultimately 
incorporated. The rest were joined to the United Socie- 
ties, of which the two Wesleys had the exclusive super- 
intendence. 

The fourth Methodist society was in Bristol and some 
adjacent places. It commenced in the summer of 1739, 
at which period Mr. Wesley preached in that city and its 



64 



THE CENTENARY OF 



neighbourhood with uncommon energy and success, in 
connection with his friend Mr. Whitefield, who had not 
as yet separated from him. Speaking of this year, Mr. 
Wesley says, " In April I went down to Bristol, and soon 
after a few persons agreed to meet weekly, with the same 
intention as those in London. These were swiftly in- 
creased, by the occasion of several little societies, which 
were till then accustomed to meet in divers parts of the 
city, but now agreed to unite together in one. And about 
the same time several of the colliers of Kings wood, begin- 
ning to awake out of sleep, joined together, and resolved 
to walk by the same rule. And these likewise swiftly 
increased. A few also at Bath began to help each other 
in running the race set before them."* The people thus 
united together were afterward divided, when Mr. White- 
field began to preach the doctrine of absolute predestina- 
tion. Many of them, however, adhered to Mr. Wesley, 
and became members of what he called the United Socie- 
ties, which were formed during the same year, and upon 
somewhat different principles. 

The time at which the first of the United Societies was 
formed is marked by Mr. Wesley with sufficient exactness. 
The following is his own account : — " In the latter end 
of the year 1739, eight or ten persons came to me in Lon- 
don, who appeared to be deeply convinced of sin, and ear- 
nestly groaning for redemption. They desired (as did 
one or two more the next day) that I would spend some 
time with them in prayer, and advise them how to flee 
from the wrath to come, which they saw continually hang- 
ing over their heads. That we might have more time for 
this great work, I appointed a day when they might all 
come together, which from thenceforward they did every 



* Works, vol. vii, p. 149, Am. edit. 



WESLEY AN METHODTSM. 



65 



week, namely, on Thursday, in the evening.* To these, 
and as many more as desired to join with them, (for their 
number increased daily,) I gave those advices from time 
to time, which I judged most needful for them ; and we 
always concluded our meeting with prayer suited to their 
several necessities. 

" This was the rise of the United Society, first in Lon- 
don, and then in other places. Such a society is no other 
than a company of men having the form and seeking the 
power of godliness, united in order to pray together, to 
receive the word of exhortation, and to watch over one 
another in love, that they may help each other to work 
out their salvation."! 

He speaks still more definitely in his " Earnest Appeal," 
where he says, " The case in London stands thus : — In 
November, 1739, two gentlemen, then unknown to me, 
Mr. Ball and Mr. Watkins, came and desired me once 
and again to preach in a place called the Foundry, near 
Moorfields. With much reluctance, I at length complied. 
The United Society began a little after."J 

Mr. Wesley, therefore, distinguishes what he sometimes 
calls the United Societies, and at other times the United 
Society, from all the other religious associations with 
which he had been previously connected. The first of 
these United Societies he declares to have begun in the 
year ] 739, after he had taken possession of the Foundry 
in November. It was therefore formed either in the month 
of November or December, 1739, and served as a model 
according to which all subsequent societies were consti- 
tuted. The societies in question were established " first 
in London, and then in other places." 

* " Twelve came the first Thursday night ; forty the next ; soon 
after, a hundred." 

t Works, vol. v, p. 190, Am. edit. X Ibid vol. v, p. 29. 



66 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Mr. Wesley did not break off his connection with the 
society which met in Fetter-lane, and which was princi- 
pally under the direction of the Moravian Church, till July, 
1740 ;* so that from the latter end of the year 1739, to 
this period, he was united with two distinct and indepen- 
dent societies in London ; one of which was exclusively 
under his own pastoral care and that of his brother, and 
the other mainly under the superintendence of the Mora- 
vian ministers. 

The larger of the United Societies Mr. Wesley divided 
into classes, each of which was placed under the care of 
a leader. The work assigned to him in the first instance 
was, to see all the members of his class once a week, in 
order to inquire how their souls prospered ; to advise, re- 
prove, comfort, or exhort, as occasion might require ; and 
to receive what they were willing to give toward the re- 
lief of the poor. " At first," says Mr. Wesley, " they visited 
each person at his own house ; but this was found not so 
expedient, and that on many accounts : 1. It took up more 
time than most of the leaders had to spare. 2. Many per- 
sons lived with masters, mistresses, or relations, who 
would not suffer them to be thus visited. 3. At the houses 
of those who were not so averse, they often had no oppor- 
tunity of speaking to them but in company. And this did 
not at all answer the end proposed, — of exhorting, com- 
forting, or reproving. 4. It frequently happened that one 
affirmed what another denied. And this could not be 
cleared up without seeing them all together. 5. Little 
misunderstandings and quarrels of various kinds frequently 
arose among relations or neighbours, effectually to remove 
which it was needful to see them all face to face. Upon 
all these considerations, it was agreed that those of each 
class should meet all together. And by this means a more 



* Works, vol. iii, pp. 190, 191, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



67 



full inquiry was made into the behaviour of every person. 
Those who could not be visited at home, or no otherwise 
than in compan}^, had the same advantage with others. 
Advice or reproof was given as need required, quarrels 
made up, misunderstandings removed. After an hour or 
two spent in this labour of love, they concluded with praise 
and thanksgiving. 

" It can scarcely be conceived what advantages have 
been reaped from this little prudential regulation. Many 
now happily experienced that Christian fellowship of 
which they had not so much as an idea before. They 
began to bear one another's burdens, and naturally to care 
for each other. As they had daily a more intimate ac- 
quaintance with, so they had a more endeared affection 
for, each other. And ' speaking the truth in love, they 
grew up into him in all things, who is the head, even 
Christ ; from whom the whole body, fitly joined together, 
and compacted by that which every joint supplied, accord- 
ing to the effectual working in the measure of every part, 
increased unto the edifying of itself in love.' "* 

The title given by the Wesleys to the societies which 
were raised up by their instrumentality, describes their 
nature in one very important particular. They were not 
distinct and independent churches, but United Societies, 
being all governed by the same discipline, and placed un- 
der the same pastoral care. The adoption of the connec- 
tional principle from the very first has led to the most 
beneficial results. Not only has an identity of cha- 
racter been impressed upon all the societies, but those 
which have been strong in consequence of their numbers 
and property, have rendered seasonable help to such as 
were poor and feeble ; and thus the work in many places 
has been perpetuated where it would otherwise have be- 



* Works, vol. v, pp. 179, ISO, Am. edit. 



68 



THE CENTENARY C-v 



come extinct, and extended to neglected districts where 
the truth could not otherwise have been carried. What 
one or two societies could not do, has been easily accom- 
plished by the combined exertions of the body. Its strength, 
under God, consists in its unity ; and were this dissolved, 
the Methodist societies would be comparatively powerless, 
both at home and in the mission field. All attempts to 
invade the connectional principle Mr. Wesley strenuously 
resisted, and his sons in the gospel have hitherto wisely 
followed in the same course. Without adopting the prin- 
ciple in question, the Wesleys might have been very use- 
ful in large and populous towns ; but neither they nor 
their successors could have carried the truth into the scat- 
tered villages and hamlets of the agricultural districts, 
where many hundreds of small chapels now stand, sur- 
rounded by the cottages of the poor, and frequented by 
thousands of devout and happy peasants. It is thus that 
the system of Methodism adapts itself to the necessities 
of the humbler classes of society. 

" It was by this means," the formation of societies, says 
Dr. Adam Clarke, " that we have been enabled to esta- 
blish permanent and holy churches over the world. Mr. 
Wesley saw the necessity of this from the beginning. 
Mr. Whitefield, when he separated from Mr. Wesley, did 
not follow it. What was the consequence ? The fruit of 
Mr. Whitefield's labours died with himself. Mr. Wesley's 
fruit remains, grows, increases, and multiplies exceedingly. 
Did Mr. Whitefield see his error ? He did ; but not till 
it was too late. His people, long unused to it, would not 
come under this discipline. Have I authority to say so ? 
I have ; and you shall have it. Forty years ago I tra- 
velled in the Bradford, Wilts, circuit, with Mr. John Pool. 
Himself told me the following anecdote : — Mr. Pool was 
well known to Mr. Whitefield, and having met him one . 
day, he accosted him in the following manner : — White- 



WESLEYAN METHODISM- 



09 



field: 'Well, John, art thou still a Wesleyan?' Pool: 
4 Yes, sir ; and I thank God that I have the privilege of 
being in connection with him, and one of his preachers.' 
Whitefield : ' John, thou art in thy right place : my brother 
Wesley acted wisely. The souls that were awakened 
under his ministry he joined in class, and thus preserved 
the fruits of his labour. This I neglected, and my people 
are a rope of sand.' And what now remains of this great 
man's labours ? Multitudes were converted under his 
ministry, and are gone to God, but there is no spiritual 
succession." 

This statement of Dr. Clarke, though substantially true, 
needs some qualification. The labours of Mr. Whitefield, 
it is presumed, were principally merged in those of Lady 
Huntingdon's connection, and in the dissenting churches. 
It is in these communities that the fruit of his most power- 
ful and effective ministry is to be traced. 

Some of the earlier societies formed by Mr; Wesley 
were severely persecuted, not only by riotous men, but in 
domestic life, and by their employers ; being not unfre- 
quently deprived of their only means of subsistence. The 
following is his own appeal to a persecutor of this class 
" You employed A. B. for several years. By your own 
account he was an honest, diligent man. You had no ob- 
jection to him but his following ' this way.' For this rea- 
son you turn him off". In a short time, having spent his 
little all, and having no supply, he wants bread. So does 
his family too, as well as himself. Before he can get into 
other business to procure it, through want of convenient 
food to eat, and raiment to put on, he sickens and dies 
This is not an imaginary scene. I have known the case, 
though too late to remedy it. 

" ' And what then V What then ! you are a murderer ! 
'0 earth! cover not thou his blood!' No; it doth not. 
1 The cry thereof hath entered into the ears of the Lord 



70 THE CENTENARY OF 

God of Sabaoth.' And God requireth it at your hands ; 
and will require it in an hour when you think not. For 
you have as effectually murdered that man, as if you had 
stabbed him to the heart. 

" It is not I, then, who ruin and starve that family : it 
is you ; you who call yourself a Protestant ! you who cry 
out against the persecuting spirit of the papists ! Ye fools 
and blind ! What are ye better than they ? Why, Edmund 
Bonner would have starved the heretics in prison ; whereas 
you starve them in their own houses !"* 

EMPLOYMENT OF PREACHERS WHO HAD NOT RECEIVED 
EPISCOPAL ORDINATION. 

As the Wesleys were led through the force of, what 
they conceived to be, providential circumstances in adopt- 
ing the practice of field-preaching, and in the formation 
of religious societies, so they were induced, in the same 
manner, to accept the assistance of preachers who had 
neither been educated with reference to the Christian 
ministry, nor formally ordained to that holy service. The 
first that was thus employed was Thomas Maxfield, a 
young man who had been converted under Mr. John Wes- 
ley's preaching at Bristol, in May, 1739. He became 
deeply pious ; and prayed, exhorted, and expounded the 
Scriptures with uncommon power. Lady Huntingdon, 
who knew him well at this period of his life, speaks of 
him in terms of the highest admiration. He was appointed 
to assist in the society in London, in the absence of the 
Wesleys, and there he began to preach. Complaint of 
this was forwarded to Mr. Wesley, who hastened to Lon- 
don with all speed, to stop the alleged irregularity. His 
mother then lived in his house adjoining the Foundry. 
On his arrival she perceived that his countenance was 



* Works, vol. v, p. 91, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



71 



expressive of dissatisfaction, and inquired the cause. 
"Thomas Maxfield," said he abruptly, "has turned 
preacher, I find." She looked attentively at him, and re- 
plied, " John, you know what my sentiments have been. 
You cannot suspect me of favouring readily any thing of 
this kind. But take care what you do with respect to that 
young man ; for he is as surely called of God to preach 
as you are. Examine what have been the fruits of his 
preaching ; and hear him also yourself." He took the 
advice, and submitted to what he believed to be the order 
of God * 

Maxfield, however, appears for a time to have been al- 
lowed only to officiate in private houses, and other subor- 
dinate places of worship ; and Mr. Charles Wesley seems 
to have been less willing to admit of a divine call in this 
case than either his mother or his brother had been. He 
was thus addressed by his brother in April, 1741 :— I 
am not clear that brother Maxfield should not expound at 
Greyhound-lane ; nor can I as yet do without him. Our 
clergymen have miscarried full as much as the laymen ; 
and that the Moravians are other than laymen, I know 
not."f 

Mr. Wesley's account of the origin of this kind of 
preaching, under his sanction, is as follows : — " After a 
time a young man, named Thomas Maxfield, came and 
desired to help me as a son in the gospel. Soon after 
came a second, Thomas Richards ; and then a third, Tho- 
mas Westell. These severally desired to serve me as sons, 
and to labour when and where I should direct."J 

One of the most distinguished of all Mr. Wesley's early 
preachers was John Nelson, a stone mason of Birstal, in 
Yorkshire ; a man of deep and fervent piety, of strong and 
manly sense, of ready and pungent wit, and of admirable 

* Moore's Life of Wesley, vol. i, p. 293, Am. edit. 

t Works, vol. vi, p. 658, Am. edit. } Ibid. vol. ii, p. 541. 



THE CENTENARY OF 



firmness and resolution. His Journal, relating with beau- 
tiful simplicity the particulars of his conversion, of his 
ministry, and of his patient sufferings in the cause of 
Christ, (for he was unrighteously forced from his family, 
and sent to be a soldier for the crime of calling sinners to 
repentance,) is one of the most interesting and instructive 
publications of the kind in the English language. Of this 
truly great, though comparatively unlettered man, Mr. 
Wesley gives the following account, having visited Nel- 
son at Birstal, in the year 1742 : — " Hearing he was at 
home, I sent for him to our inn ; whence he immediately 
carried me to his house, and gave me an account of the 
strange manner wherein he had been led on since we 
parted in London. 

" He had full business there, and large wages. But 
from the time of his finding peace with God, it was con- 
tinually upon his mind that he must return (though he 
knew not why) to his native place. He did so, about 
Christmas, in the year 1740. His relations and acquain- 
tance soon began to inquire what he thought of this new 
faith ; and whether he believed there was any such thing 
as a man knowing that his sins were forgiven. John told 
them point blank, that this new faith, as they called it, was 
the old faith of the gospel ; and that he himself was as 
sure his sins were forgiven, as he could be of the shining 
of the sun. This was soon noised abroad ; more and 
more came to inquire concerning these strange things. 
Some put him upon the proof of the great truths which 
such inquiries naturally led him to mention ; and thus he 
was brought unawares to quote, explain, compare, and en- 
force several parts of Scripture. This he did at first, sit- 
ting in his house, till the company increased so that the 
house could not contain them. Then he stood at the door, 
which he was commonly obliged to do, in the evening as 
soon as he came from work. God immediately set his 



WES LEY AN METHODISM. 



73 



seal to what was spoken ; and several believed, and there- 
fore declared that God was merciful also to their unright- 
eousness, and had forgiven all their sins."* 

In this manner John Nelson was employed as a teacher 
of Christianity at this early period. He afterward ex- 
tended his labours by preaching during his dinner hour, 
and in the week-day evenings, as well as on the sabbath, 
in the surrounding towns and villages, till the magistrates 
interfered and sent him into the army, where he main- 
tained his integrity, and nobly confessed his Lord. Sub- 
sequently to his liberation he was entirely devoted to the 
work of preaching the gospel ; and died, as he had lived, 
a good soldier of Jesus Christ, in the year 1774. His 
answers to cavillers, and the reproofs which he suddenly 
administered, were often most effective. Two instances 
may be given in illustration. When he had been pressed 
for a soldier, and was standing under a guard in the street 
at Leeds, a jolly well-dressed woman came to him, and 
putting her face close to his, said, " Now, Nelson, where 
is thy God ? Thou saidst at Shent's door, as thou wast 
preaching, thou wast no more afraid of his promise fail- 
ing, than thou wast of dropping through the heart of the 
earth." He answered, " Look into the seventh chapter 
of Micah, and read the eighth and tenth verses." The 
words of those verses are, '* Rejoice not against me, O 
mine enemy ; when I fall, I shall arise : when I sit in 
darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. Then she 
that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her 
which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God ?" 

When brought before one of the aldermen of Notting- 
ham, that guardian of the public peace said, " I wonder 
you can't stay in your own places. You might be con- 
vinced by this time, that the mob of Nottingham will never 

* Works, vol. iii, p. 252, Am. edit. 
4 



74 



THE CENTENARY OF 



let you preach quietly in this town." John promptly re- 
sponded, " I beg pardon, sir ; I did not know before now 
that this town was governed by a mob ; for most such 
towns are governed by magistrates." The alderman 
scolded ; but his blushes betrayed the emotion which 
John's gentle and well-timed sarcasm had created. 

From the time at which the preaching of Messrs. Max- 
field, Westell, Richards, and Nelson received the sanction 
of the two Wesleys, other men, of similar piety and gifts, 
offered their services, and were accepted ; so that besides 
a large number of local preachers who laboured only in 
their own respective neighbourhoods, in the year 1765 the 
number of those who were wholly devoted to the work of 
preaching the gospel, and were not episcopally ordained, 
amounted to ninety-four ; and at the time of Mr. Wesley's 
death they amounted to three hundred, including thirteen 
in the West Indies, and six in Nova Scotia and Newfound- 
land. To these must be added the ministers belonging to 
the powerful and rapidly increasing connection in the 
United States of America. 

Many of the preachers, in common with the two Wes- 
leys, by whom they were sanctioned and employed, en- 
dured severe and cruel persecutions, especially in the 
earlier periods of their ministry. Of this several instances 
are upon record. Two only will we mention in this place. 
Under the date of June 11th, 1744, Mr. Wesley says in 
his Journal, " I left Newcastle, and in the afternoon met 
John Nelson, at Durham, with Thomas Beard, another 
quiet and peaceable man, who had lately been torn from 
his trade, and wife, and children, and sent away as a sol- 
dier, that is, banished from all that was near and dear to 
him, and constrained to dwell among lions, for no other 
crime, either committed or pretended, than that of calling 
sinners to repentance. But his soul was in nothing terri- 
fied by his adversaries. Yet the body, after a while, sunk 



WESLEY AN METHODISM 



75 



under its burden. He was then lodged in the hospital, at 
Newcastle, where he still praised God continually. His 
fever increasing, he was let blood. His arm festered, 
mortified, and was cut off : two or three days after which 
God signed his discharge, and called him up to his eter- 
nal home. 

" 4 Servant of God, well done ! Well hast thou fought 
The better fight; who single hast maintain'd, 
Against revolted multitudes, the cause 
Of God; in word mightier than they in arms.'" 

Mr. Thomas Mitchell gives the following account : — . 
" In the year 1751 I was stationed in Lincolnshire. I 
found a serious people, and an open door ; but there were 
many adversaries. This was far the most trying year 
which I had ever known. But in every temptation God 
made a way to escape, that I might be able to bear it. 

" On Sunday, August 7th, I came to Wrangle, very 
early in the morning. I preached, as usual, at five. About 
six, two constables came at the head of a large mob. They 
violently broke in upon the people, seized upon me, pulled 
me down, and took me to a public house, where they kept 
me till four in the afternoon. Then one of the constables 
seemed to relent, and said, ' I will go to the minister, and 
inquire of him whether we may not now let the poor man 
go.' When he came back he said they were not to let 
him go yet. So he took me out to the mob, who presently 
hurried me away, and threw me into a pool of standing 
water. It took me up to the neck. Several times I strove 
to get out, but they pitched me in again. They told me I 
must go through it seven times. I did so ; and then they 
let me come out. When I had got upon dry ground, a 
man stood ready with a pot full of white paint. He painted 
me all over from head to foot, and then they carried me 
into a public house again. Here I was kept till they had 
put five more of our friends into the water. Then they 



76 



THE CENTENARY OF 



came and took me out again, and carried me to a great 
pond, which was railed in on every side, being ten or 
twelve feet deep. Here four men took me by my legs 
and arms, and swung me backward and forward. For a 
moment I felt the flesh shrink ; but it was quickly gone. 
I gave myself up to the Lord, and was content his will 
should be done. They swung me two or three times, and 
then threw me as far as they could into the water. The 
fall and the water soon took away my senses, so that I 
felt nothing more. But some of them were not willing to 
have me drowned. So they watched till I came above 
water, and then catching hold of my clothes with a long 
pole, made shift to drag me out. 

" I lay senseless for some time. When I came to my- 
self, I saw only two men standing by me. One of them 
helped me up, and desired me to go with him. He brought 
me to a little house, where they quickly put me to bed. 
But I had not lain long before the mob came again, pulled 
me out of bed carried me into the street, and swore they 
would take away one of my limbs, if I would not promise 
to come there no more. I told them, ' I can promise no 
such thing.' But the man that had hold of me promised 
for me, and took me back into the house, and put me to 
bed again. 

" Some of the mob then went to the minister again, to 
know what they must do with me. He told them, ' You 
must take him out of the parish.' So they came, and took 
me out of bed a second time. But I had no clothes to put 
on ; my own being wet, and also covered with paint. But 
they put an old coat about me, took me about a mile, and 
set me upon a little hill. They then shouted three times, 
4 God save the king, and the devil take the preacher !' 

" Here they left me pennyless and friendless : for no 
one durst come near me. And my strength was nearly 
gone ; so that I had much ado to walk, or even to stand. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 77 

But from the beginning to the end my mind was in per- 
fect peace. I found no anger or resentment, but could 
heartily pray for my persecutors. But I knew not what 
to do, or where to go. Indeed, one of our friends lived 
three or four miles off. But I was so weak and ill, that it 
did not seem possible for me to get so far. However, I 
trusted in God, and set out ; and at length I got to the 
house. The family did every thing for me that was in 
their power : they got me clothes, and whatever else was 
needful. I rested four days with them, in which time my 
strength was tolerably restored. Then I went into the 
circuit, where I met with more persecution. As I was 
preaching in a certain village in the Fen, the mob came 
into the house, and broke through the congregation, in 
order to pull me down ; but the good woman of the house 
took me into the parlour, and stood in the door with a 
great kitchen poker in her hand, and told the mob the first 
man that came near the door she would knock him down. 
As she was very big with child, and near the time of her 
travail, this, with the sight of the great poker, kept them 
off, so that they could not get at me. However, they 
stayed for some time, and then left the house without do- 
ing much harm. After they were gone, I gave an exhor- 
tation, went to prayer, and then went to bed in peace. In 
the midst of this persecution, many were brought to the 
saving knowledge of God : and as the sufferings of Christ 
abounded, so our consolations by Christ abounded also. 
As to the lions at Wrangle, an appeal to the Court of 
King's Bench made both them and the minister quiet as 
lambs."* 

Some of Mr. Wesley's early preachers were men of 
strong intellect, and attained to considerable eminence in 
sacred scholarship. Thomas Olivers, originally a shoe- 



* Experience of Early Methodist Preachers, pp. 231-33. 



78 



THE CENTENARY OF 



maker, and a young man of profligate habits, became not 
only an excellent Christian, but an able and powerful 
preacher. He wrote several polemical tracts, which re- 
flect great credit upon his theological attainments, and his 
ability as a reasoner. The fine hymns beginning, 

" Lo, He comes, with clouds descending," 

and, 

"The God of Abraham praise," 

were both his composition ; and also the beautiful and ap- 
propriate tune which is set to the first of them in Mr. Wes- 
ley's " Sacred Harmony." Thomas Walsh Mr. Wesley 
declares to have been the best biblical scholar with whom 
he was ever acquainted. Though he died at the early 
age of twenty-eight, yet, says Mr. Wesley, " if he was 
questioned concerning any Hebrew word in the Old, or 
any Greek word in the New Testament, he would tell, 
after a little pause, not only how often the one or the other 
occurred in the Bible, but also what it meant in every 
place. Such a master of biblic knowledge I never saw 
before, and never expect to see again."* Others of them 
were well acquainted with the English Scriptures, with 
Christian theology, and especially with the nature of per- 
sonal religion ; and that they were able and effective 
preachers is attested by the fruit of their labours in every 
part of the land. " In one thing which they profess to 
know," says Mr. Wesley, " they are not ignorant men. I 
trust there is not one of them who is not able to go through 
such an examination in substantial, practical, experimental 
divinity, as few of our candidates for holy orders, even in 
the University, (I speak it with sorrow and shame, and in 
tender love,) are able to do. But O, what manner of ex- 
amination do most of those candidates go through ! and 



* Works, vol. ii, p. 285, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



79 



what proof are the testimonials commonly brought, (as 
solemn as the form is wherein they run,) either of their 
piety or knowledge, to whom are intrusted those sheep 
which God hath purchased Avith his own blood !" 

INSTITUTION OF AN ITINERANT MINISTRY. 

When the Wesleys began to preach the doctrine of sal- 
vation by faith, they did not confine their ministrations to 
any particular town, much less to any one congregation. 
From London, Mr. John Wesley, as we have already seen, 
extended his labours to Bristol, Kingswood, and Bath ; 
and in the course of a very few years, he visited the most 
populous towns and districts in England ; especially New- 
castle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, and the most thickly- 
peopled parts of Yorkshire, Staffordshire, and Cornwall. 
His brother Charles breathed the same spirit of holy zeal 
and enterprise, and followed in the same path of shame 
and glory with equal boldness and fidelity. Personal ease 
and honour they appear never to have thought of. Life 
itself was with them of no account, except as it was em- 
ployed in bringing souls to Christ. The want of what 
others would have deemed suitable places to preach in 
was to them no difficulty. When the churches were closed 
against them, they were ready to deliver their evangelical 
message in a private house, in a barn, in a public road, in 
the market-place, in a field ; as our blessed Lord preached 
on . a mountain, upon a plain, and in the fishing-boat of 
Simon Peter. Preaching two or three times a day, and 
travelling with great rapidity, their voices were soon heard 
in the length and breadth of the land. The neglected 
populace of London, the papists of Ireland, the miners of 
Cornwall, the colliers of Kingswood, of Staffordshire, and 
of the north, with the keelmen of the Tyne, engaged the 
especial sympathy, and shared the labours of these apos- 
tolic men. After a few years Charles became a family- 



80 



THE CENTENARY OF 



man, and confined his ministry chiefly to London and 
Bristol. John's itinerancy continued, without abatement, 
to the end of his protracted life. 

The ministry which was assigned to their fellow- 
labourers was of a somewhat similar kind. Every one of 
them was required to be a " travelling preacher." The 
country was divided into circuits, to each of which two or 
three regular fellow-labourers were generally appointed. 
Some of the circuits were at first very extensive, embrac- 
ing a whole county, and in some cases a considerably 
larger space ; but they became more contracted as the 
work spread, and the preaching places and societies were 
multiplied. Still, however, the preachers were required 
to visit in rotation the several towns, villages, and hamlets 
which were committed to their care, usually preaching 
every evening, at least, during the week, teaching also 
from house to house, visiting the sick, meeting the socie- 
ties, and everywhere maintaining the discipline to which 
the whole body was pledged. From these stations the 
preachers were liable to be removed every year ; and they 
seldom remained in any of them more than two years in 
succession. The same order is observed to this day. 
Thus the various talents of the preachers were brought to 
bear upon the different congregations, the peculiar tastes 
of all were gratified, and the interest of novelty was ren- 
dered subservient to the cause of religion. Careless per- 
sons, who would not hear a preacher with whose name 
they were familiar, would often attend the ministry of a 
stranger ; and many in this manner were converted from 
the error of their way. 

It was by means of the annual conferences that the 
Wesleyan itinerancy was regulated. The first conference 
was held in London, in the year 1744. It was attended 
only by six persons five of whom were clergymen. The 
time of their several meetings was mostly occupied in the 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



81 



discussion of doctrinal and disciplinary questions, and the 
best means of extending the work of God. These assem- 
blies have been a means of preserving a uniformity of 
doctrine and discipline in the body from the beginning. 
There the characters of the preachers have been examined, 
differences of theological opinion repressed, the stations 
of the preachers determined, and their hearts warmed and 
cheered by mutual consultation and prayer. The power 
of government, which Mr. Wesley possessed during his 
life, by his appointment devolved upon the conference 
after his decease ; he having nominated its members, pro- 
vided for its perpetuity, and defined its powers, by the 
" Deed of Declaration,*' of which an account will be given 
in a subsequent part of this narrative. In this important 
instrument he has shown his inviolable love of itinerancy, 
by limiting the power of the conference to appoint preach- 
ers to the same chapels to three years in succession. It 
was his conviction, that it is next to impossible for any 
man permanently to preserve his ministry in all its spi- 
ritual efficiency when he is confined to one congregation. 

THE ERECTIOX OF SEPARATE PLACES OF WORSHIP. 

It has been sometimes intimated, that the erection of 
separate places of worship by the two Wesleys, as well 
as rield-preaching, was occasioned solely by their exclu- 
sion from the churches of the Establishment. But this 
is not a correct view of the subject. They had no right 
to the general occupancy of the churches ; and to several 
of them they were admitted to the end of their lives, both 
as a matter of courtesy, and with reference to the spiritual 
benefit of the people. But had all the churches of the 
land been open to them, the means which they felt it their 
duty to adopt, for the revival and extension of Scriptural 
Christianity, would have rendered other places of worship 
indispensably necessary. The pulpits of the national 

4* 



82 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Church could not be occupied by the preachers, travelling 
and local, whose ministrations the brothers deemed it in- 
cumbent upon them to sanction. Accommodation also 
was wanting for the meeting of societies and classes ; for 
love-feasts, watch-night services, and prayer-meetings ; as 
well as for week-night preaching, and preaching at rive 
o'clock in the morning ; all of which they considered ne- 
cessary in order to the accomplishment of their design. 

The first chapel that the Wesleys themselves erected 
was in Bristol ; but the first that they opened for divine 
worship was in London. The history of this place is not 
a little curious. The chapel was a large unsightly brick 
building, near the present site of Finsbury-square, and was 
known by the name of the Foundry. It had been in the 
occupation of government, and used for the purpose of 
casting brass cannon. Its nearness to London rendered 
it inconvenient in consequence of the crowds of people 
that assembled to witness the process ; and a serious ac- 
cident having occurred, by which some lives were lost, 
and several persons greatly injured, the business was 
transferred to Woolwich ; and the premises were leased 
to Mr. Wesley, who fitted up the principal building as a 
place of worship. The form and character of the erec- 
tion were changed, but the name was retained. This 
chapel was a sort of cathedral in Methodism till the year 
1777, when it was superseded by the very commodious 
and elegant chapel in the City-road, which for many years 
was not unfrequently called the New Foundry. Behind 
the old Foundry was Mr. Wesley's dwelling-house, the 
entry to which was through the gallery of the chapel. 
Here Mr. Wesley resided when he was in London, and 
here his venerated mother died in the Lord. At one end 
of the Foundry was a building of one story, which was 
occupied as a day-school ; in another spacious room was 
a large electrifying machine, which was used on two days 



WESLEYAX METHODISM. 



83 



every week in the case of the afflicted people who resorted 
thither for relief ; and in another the publications of the 
two brothers, in prose and verse, were kept on sale. At 
the top of the Foundry was a small bell which was rung 
as the signal of the preaching at five o'clock in the morn- 
ing and of other religious services. This part of London 
was then open, and unfurnished with lamps ; and the 
Methodist people, men and women, were regularly seen 
at that early hour, during the winter season, selecting 
their steps by the help of a small lantern, and wending 
their way to the house of prayer, drawn by the well-known 
sound, and anticipating those lessons of evangelical in- 
struction which their venerated teachers were accustomed 
to deliver. Mr. Wesley had often preached his morning 
sermon, performed his early devotions with his people, 
and w T as on his way to distant places in the country, before 
other people had shaken off their slumbers, and were pre- 
pared to apply themselves to the duties of life. 

The opening of the Foundry in London, and of the 
" Room" in Bristol, was soon followed by the Orphan- 
house in Newcastle ; and then by chapels of various di- 
mensions in Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, York, Hull, 
Birmingham, and other populous towns. In these build- 
ings of primitive Methodism, elegance of architecture was 
little studied. They were plain and substantial, intended 
for use, and not for ornament. The most remarkable 
circumstance connected with them was the amplitude 
of their accommodation for the poor. The pulpits also 
were large, and contained a bench of considerable length 
for the use of the preachers who might be expected 
successively to address the congregations at the quarterly 
watch-nights, and other similar services. The preaching 
in these sanctuaries was plain, pointed, searching, and 
powerful. The singing was lively ; the body of the peo- 
ple generally joined in it ; and not a few persons in differ- 



84 



THE CENTENARY OF 



ent places were drawn by its sweetness and power to an 
attendance upon the ministry of the word. The tunes 
were mostly simple melodies, composed by the old mas- 
ters, and selected by Mr. Wesley, who published various 
books of sacred music ; and they were sung, if not always 
according to the rules of art, yet with the spirit and the 
understanding. The men and women sat apart in the 
congregation : a practice which Mr. Wesley derived from 
the Moravians, but which, even in his time, was found to 
be inconvenient. It was ultimately abandoned. In these 
assemblies, which were often annoyed by mischievous 
and riotous people, multitudes of ungodly persons were 
awakened, converted, regenerated, sanctified, and built up 
in faith and love. 

THE PUBLICATION OF BOOKS. 

One of the most important and successful means adopted 
by the two Wesleys for promoting the interests of religion, 
was the publication, in a cheap and popular form, of a 
large number of interesting and instructive books. Before 
he went to Georgia, Mr. John Wesley, as we have seen, 
published a single sermon, besides a revised edition of 
Kempis's " Christian Pattern ;" but it was not till after he 
had returned to England, and obtained the salvation of 
the gospel through faith in the Lord Jesus, that he was 
really aware of the power of the press, and began to use 
it to the full extent of his ability. He then entered upon 
a course of literary labour of the most gigantic kind, in 
connection with his incessant travelling, preaching, epis- 
tolary correspondence, and the pastoral care of his spirit- 
ual children in all parts of the kingdom. At an early 
period of his public labours, he sent forth three volumes 
of sermons, explaining, with unrivalled simplicity and 
strength, the leading doctrines upon which he had been 
accustomed to preach ; and his " Appeals to Men of 



WESLEY AX METHODISM. 



85 



Reason and Religion," defending the irregular proceedings 
into which he had been led, and demonstrating their ne- 
cessity. Upon the back of this most powerful and im- 
pressive volume, Dr. Doddridge wrote the significant ex- 
clamation, " How forcible are right words !" These works 
were attended by an almost incredible number of tracts 
and pamphlets, original and selected ; some of them 
intended for gratuitous distribution, and all admirabry fitted 
to turn men from sin, and to build them up in holiness. 

He published a considerable number of controversial 
works, in answer to the objections which Dr. Church and 
others urged against his proceedings and theological views, 
and in defence of his ministry and character against the 
reasonings and bitter sarcasms of Bishops Lavington* and 
Warburton ; but it was in practical divinity that he took 
the greatest delight. That the writings of our elder 
divines, Puritan and Conformist, might be rendered avail- 
able to general edification, he published selections from 
them in fifty volumes, under the title of " A Christian Li- 
brary," presenting a beautiful and agreeable variety of 
style and manner, and of biographical, didactic, and prac- 
tical compositions. After a lapse of several years, this 
invaluable compilation was succeeded by a monthly maga- 
zine, consisting of articles partly original and partly se- 
lected ; and containing at once " milk" for such as were 

* Since Bishop Lavington published his libellous book on Me- 
thodism, several works of a somewhat similar character have ap- 
peared. The most notorious of these are Nott's Bampton Lectures ; 
Nightingale's Portraiture of Methodism ; Dr. Bennett's History of the 
Dissenters ; Philip's Life of Mr. Whitefield ; the recent Life of Alex- 
ander Kilham ; and Conder's Analytical View of all Religions. We 
enter our protest against all these works, so far as Wesleyan Me- 
thodism is concerned. They contain direct and palpable misrepre- 
sentations respecting Mr. Wesley and his people ; and some of them 
are highly calumnious. On the other subjects treated of in these 
volumes we say nothing. 



86 



THE CENTENARY OF 



" babes" in understanding and knowledge, and " strong 
meat" for those that were of riper intellectual age. 

To him it was a matter of solid gratification that his 
ministry, and that of his " fellow-helpers to the truth." 
roused many a dormant mind to reflection and inquiry ; 
and as it was his anxious wish to raise up an intelligent as 
well as a holy people, he published concise grammars of 
the English, French, Latin, and Greek languages ; with 
an epitome of the Roman History. To these he added an 
abridged History of England, and another of the Christian 
Church, in four volumes each ; besides a Compendium of 
Natural Philosophy, in five volumes, that peasants and 
persons of neglected education might have the means of 
acquiring useful knowledge at the smallest possible ex- 
pense of time and money. In providing cheap literature, 
he anticipated the movements of more modern times by 
many years ; and in this kind of service he laboured al- 
most alone for nearly half a century. Moral and sacred 
poetry he strongly recommended, and published selections 
of this kind in three volumes ; and portable editions of 
Milton and Young, with notes explaining the difficult pas- 
sages, and directing attention to the finest paragraphs. 

Desirous of promoting, in all his societies, the study of 
the holy Scriptures, as the source and standard of divine 
truth, he published, in a quarto volume, an amended trans- 
lation of the New Testament, with Explanatory Notes, 
remarkable for their spirituality, terseness, and point. A 
similar work, but less original in its character, he pub- 
lished on the Old Testament in three quarto volumes. We 
hazard nothing in saying, that no man ever lived who 
placed a larger mass of evangelical and useful literature 
within the reach of the common people. The works 
which he published were not merely harmless, but bene- 
ficial ; calculated and intended to make men wise and holy. 

Mr. Charles Wesley was an elegant scholar, and pos- 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



ST 



sessed a fine classical taste ; but, as a literary man, he en- 
gaged in a kind of service very different from that which 
occupied the more versatile genius of his brother. Prose 
composition he almost entirely neglected ; except that he 
wrote two sermons for the press, — one on " Awake, thou 
that sleepest," and the other on earthquakes, — and for 
many years kept a daily record of passing occurrences. 
Above almost all men that ever lived, he was the child of 
feeling ; and from the time of his conversion till his fires 
were quenched in death, he thought and breathed in sacred 
verse. His was not " made poetry," but "poetry that made 
itself." It flowed from the depth of his heart in a peren- 
nial stream, as clear as it was full and strong. He sup- 
plied the Methodists with hymns suited to every occasion, 
and on all possible subjects connected with their spiritual 
concerns, and that with an energy, a purity, and a copious- 
ness of diction, and with a richness of evangelical senti- 
ment, of which the Christian Church had perhaps never 
before seen an equal example. There is scarcely a feel- 
ing of the heart in the entire process of salvation, from the 
first dawn of light upon the understanding, and the inci- 
pient, sorrows of penitence, to the joys of pardon, the entire 
sanctification of the soul, and its triumphant entrance into 
paradise, which he has not expressed in genuine poetry. 
All that he and his brother taught from the pulpit, of the 
evil of sin, the glory of Christ, the efficacy of the atone- 
ment, the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, " the good 
fight of faith," the peace and joy of believing, and the ec- 
static anticipations of hope, he enabled the people to sing 
in strains worthy of the brightest days of the primitive 
church, when she had received the pentecostal baptism of 
fire. Never were people so favoured with respect to the 
substance of their psalmody as the Wesleyan connection 
has always been. 

To some persons it may perhaps appear incredible, but 



88 



THE CENTENARY OF 



it is, nevertheless, a fact, that, independently of his own 
original works, which occupy fourteen large octavo 
volumes, Mr. John Wesley abridged, revised, and printed 
no fewer than one hundred and seventeen distinct publica- 
tions, reckoning his Christian Library, his histories, and 
his philosophy, as only one each ; and that the brothers, 
separately and unitedly, published forty-seven poetical 
tracts and volumes, most of which were the compositions 
of Mr. Charles Wesley, and adapted to the use of public, 
domestic, and private devotion ; besides a large number 
of psalms, which were inserted in the " Arminian Maga- 
zine." Apparently without design, Mr. Charles Wesley 
has anticipated every want of the connection, so far as 
devotional poetry is concerned. Notwithstanding the dif- 
ference between his times and the present, there is not a 
religious service, whether relating to missions, the Chris- 
tian sacraments, or the ordination of ministers, for which 
he has not most appropriately provided. 

Mr, Charles Wesley was critically acquainted with the 
holy Scriptures, and had a profound knowledge of theo- 
logy, as must appear to every attentive reader of his 
poetry. To a great extent, it forms a beautiful commen- 
tary on the Bible. 

THE ADOPTION OF A SIMPLE AND IMPRESSIVE MODE OF 
PREACHING. 

When Messrs. John and Charles Wesley, having found 
what they had long sought — the peace and holiness which 
are consequent upon the true Christian faith — began to 
exert themselves to effect a revival of religion in the na- 
tion, they adopted a mode of preaching adapted to this 
end. They laid aside the practice of reading their ser- 
mons, and addressed the people from the fulness of their 
hearts ; yet without the slightest approach to rhapsody. 
The subjects of their ministry were, at first, comparatively 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



89 



few, but immensely important. True religion, they strenu- 
ously, maintained does not consist in right opinions, nor in 
correct morals, nor in harmlessness of conduct, nor in at- 
tendance upon Christian ordinances, necessary as these 
things are in their several places ; but is the life of God 
in the soul of man ; a conformity to the divine image ; the 
love of God and of all mankind for his sake, constantly 
expressing itself in acts of piety, benevolence, and right- 
eousness. They contended, that of this all mankind are 
naturally destitute ; and that they can attain it in no other 
way than by believing in Christ. Love to God, which 
they described as the root and principle of all holiness, 
they declared to be a grateful affection, arising under the 
influence of the Holy Spirit, from an assurance of God's 
love to us ; so that justification, and the inward witness 
of our adoption, precede sanctification, though they are 
inseparably connected with it. This happiness and purity 
they declared to be attainable by all men, and attainable 
now ; and hence they offered to the most unworthy of 
mankind, as the free gift of God, a present salvation from 
the guilt, the power, and the misery of sin. All believers 
they exhorted to go on unto perfection ; assuring them, 
upon the testimony of holy Scripture, that they might be 
saved in this life from all inward, as well as all outward sin ; 
and love God with all their heart, and mind, and soul, and 
strength. The necessity of a holy life, as the fruit of 
faith, and as emanating from the principle of divine love, 
they enforced with unceasing earnestness, and with a con- 
stant reference to the strict account which every one must 
soon render to the Judge of quick and dead. The offices 
of Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit, in their direct 
connection with the present and everlasting salvation of 
mankind, formed the prominent subjects of their ministra- 
tions. In Christianity they found a perfect remedy for 
all the miseries of our fallen world ; and hence they 



90 



THE CENTENARY OF 



preached under a plenary conviction of the absolute truth 
of the doctrine which they inculcated, and felt it to be 
worthy of all acceptation. In these respects their fellow- 
labourers were like-minded with them. They described 
the new birth as consisting in an entire change of heart 
from sin to holiness ; and with peculiar earnestness they 
declared it to be absolutely and universally necessary in 
order to final salvation. On this vital subject their ministry 
was marked by an especial solemnity and force. 

The principles by which Mr. Wesley was guided, in 
the formation of his theological views, and the manner in 
which he endeavoured to teach mankind, he has distinctly 
stated in the incomparable preface to his Sermons, which 
he first published in the year 1746. "I design plain 
truth," says he, " for plain people. Therefore of set pur- 
pose I abstain from all nice and philosophical specula- 
tions, from all perplexed and intricate reasonings ; and, as 
far as possible, from even the show of learning, unless in 
sometimes citing the original Scriptures. I labour to avoid 
all words which are not easy to be understood, all which 
are not used in common life ; and in particular, those kinds 
of technical terms that so frequently occur in bodies of 
divinity, those modes of speaking which men of reading 
are intimately acquainted with, but which, to common 
people, are an unknown tongue." 

" To candid, reasonable men I am not afraid to lay open 
what have been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have 
thought, I am a creature of a day, passing through life as 
an arrow through the air. I am a spirit, come from God, 
and returning to God ; just hovering over the great gulf, 
till a few moments hence I am no more seen ; I drop into 
an unchangeable eternity. I want to know one thing, the 
way to heaven, how to land safe on that happy shore. 
God himself has condescended to teach the way : for this 
very end he came down from heaven. He hath written 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



91 



it down in a book. O give me that book ! At any price, 
give me the book of God ! I have it. Here is knowledge 
enough me. Let me be homo unius libri. Here then I 
am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone. 
Only God is here. In his presence I open, I read this 
book ; for this end, to find the way to heaven. Is there 
a doubt concerning the meaning of what I read ? Does 
any thing appear dark or intricate ? I lift up my heart to 
the Father of lights, ' Lord, is it not thy word, If any man 
lack wisdom, let him ask of God ? Thou givest liberally, 
and upbraidest not. Thou hast said, If any be willing to 
do thy will, he shall know. I am willing to do, let me 
know thy will.' I then search after, and consider, parallel 
passages of Scripture, comparing spiritual things with 
spiritual. I meditate thereon with all the attention and 
earnestness of which my mind is capable. If any doubt 
still remain, I consult those who are experienced in the 
things of God ; and then the writings whereby being dead 
they yet speak. And what I thus learn, that I teach." 

With respect to the right manner of preaching, he thus 
speaks in his notes on our Lord's sermon upon the mount : 
" Through this whole discourse we cannot but observe 
the most exact method which can possibly be conceived. 
Every paragraph, every sentence, is closely connected 
with that which precedes, and that which follows it. And 
is not this the pattern to every Christian preacher ? If any, 
then, are able to follow it without any premeditation, well; 
if not, let them not dare to preach without it. No rhapsody, 
no incoherency, whether the things spoken be true or false, 
comes from the Spirit of Christ." 

Mr. Wesley has recorded his sentiments with respect 
to the style in the preface to the second series of his Ser- 
mons, which he published in 1788, only three years before 
he died. " Is there need," says he, " to apologize to sen- 
sible persons for the plainness of my style I A gentleman 



92 



THE CENTENARY OF 



whom I much love and respect lately informed me, with 
much tenderness and courtesy, that men of candour made 
great allowance for the decay of my faculties, and did not 
expect me to write now, either with regard to sentiment 
or language, as I did thirty or forty years ago. Perhaps 
they are decayed, though I am not conscious of it. But 
is not this a fit occasion to explain myself concerning 
the style I use from choice, not necessity 1 I could even 
now write as floridly and rhetorically as even the admired 

Dr. B .* But I dare not, because I seek the honour 

that cometh of God only ! What is the praise of man to 
me, that have one foot in the grave, and am stepping into 
the land whence I shall not return ? Therefore I dare no 
more write in a fine style than wear a fine coat. But 
were it otherwise, had I time to spare, I should still write 
just as I do ; I should purposely decline what many ad- 
mire — a highly ornamented style. I cannot relish French 
oratory. I despise it from my heart. Let those that 
please be in raptures at the pretty elegant, sentences of 
Massillon or Bordaloue ; but give me the plain, nervous 
style of Dr. South, Dr. Bates, or Mr. John Howe : and 
for elegance, show me any French writer who exceeds 
Dean Young, or Mr. Seed. Let who will admire the 
French frippery ; I am still for plain, sound English. 

" I think a preacher or writer of sermons has lost his 
way when he imitates any of the French orators ; even 
the most famous of them ; even Massillon, or Bourdaloue. 
Only let his language be plain, proper, and clear, and it is 
enough. God himself has told us how to speak, both as 
to the matter and the manner. ' If any man speak' in the 
name of God, ' let him speak as the oracles of God.' And 
if he would imitate any part of these above the rest, let it 
be the first epistle of St. John. This is the style, the 



* Dr. Blair is most probably the writer here intended. 



WBSLEYAN METHODISM, 



most excellent style for every gospel preacher. And let 
him aim at no more ornament than he finds in that sen- 
tence which is the sura of the whole gospel, ' AVe love 
him, because he first loved us.' " 

The Wesleys preached and exhorted, that they might 
make the most unlettered of their hearers understand the 
true nature of Christianity, and induce them to work out 
their salvation with fear and trembling ; and they felt that 
unless they succeeded in this, they only spent their 
strength for naught. They engaged in the duties of the 
ministry under a deep sense of their responsibility both to 
God and man, and left all self-display and artificial modes 
of address to the vain men who seek their reward in popu- 
lar admiration. 

Mr. John Wesley's gigantic labours excited the kind 
sympathy of one of the Irish prelates, who ordained Air. 
Thomas Alaxiield, the first of the lay-preachers, priest ; 
saying, at the same time, " Air. Alaxneld. I ordain you to 
assist that good man, (Air. Wesley,) that he may not work 
himself to death.'' 



CHAPTER W. 

THE REVIVAL AND SPREAD OF RELIGION THROUGH THE 
LABOURS OF THE TWO WESLEYS, AND OF THEIR COAD- 
JUTORS. 

Among other significant directions which Air. AA'esley 
gave to his preachers was this : — " Go always, not only 
to those who want you, but to those who want you most." 
He adopted the same principle as the rule of his own pro- 
ceedings ; and hence he went, not to those places where 
he was likely to meet with a kind reception, but where 
the people were the most ignorant, wicked and neglected. 
In those times the criminal law of England was terribly 



94 



THE CENTENARY OF 



sanguinary. Executions were numerous and frequent ; 
and to the end of their lives the brothers were in the habit 
of visiting convicts under sentence of death, and of affec- 
tionately pointing them to the throne of the divine mercy, 
from which no penitent and believing suppliant was ever 
sent empty away. They felt that Christ's atonement met 
all the necessities of the most guilty and abject of man- 
kind. With the same feeling they visited, in the first in- 
stance, the most wretched of the uninstructed masses in 
the mining and manufacturing districts, and then the more 
scattered population in other parts of the land. It often 
happened that their clerical garb failed entirely to secure 
for them the slightest respect, and their lives were in the 
greatest jeopardy. In not a few instances the clergy, for- 
getting what was becoming in the character which they 
sustained, were directly concerned in exciting the hos- 
tility of mobs against them, particularly in Staffordshire ; 
and at Epworth, the clergyman, in a state of drunkenness, 
assaulted Mr. Wesley before a thousand people, assembled 
together in the church, and drove him away from the 
Lord's table, because he preached in the fields. Yet the 
brothers, with admirable calmness and fidelity, pursued 
their course of duty " through good report, and through 
evil report ;" and lived to see nearly the whole land, in- 
cluding the Isle of Man, and the Norman islands, divided 
into circuits, and regularly occupied by their zealous, in- 
trepid, and self-denying fellow-labourers. Numerous so- 
cieties were also formed, the members of which, submit- 
ting to a system of godly discipline and order, were every- 
where seen " walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the 
comfort of the Holy Ghost." 

Perhaps the most distinguished and honourable convert 
of whom the devoted brothers could boast was their vene- 
rable mother ; a woman of great personal beauty, of high 
moral worth, and of a very strong and cultivated mind. 



WESLEY AX METHODISM. 



96 



On the third of September, 1739, Mr. John Wesley says, 
" I talked largely with my mother, w^ho told me that, till 
a short time since, she had scarce heard such a thing men- 
tioned, as the having forgiveness of sins now, or God's 
Spirit bearing witness with our spirit : much less did she 
imagine that this was the common privilege of all true be- 
lievers. ' Therefore/ said she, 1 1 never durst ask for it 
myself. But two or three weeks ago, while my son Hall 
was pronouncing these words, in delivering the cup to me 
The blocd of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for thee, 
the words struck through my heart, and I knew God for 
Christ's sake had forgiven me all my sins.' 

15 1 asked whether her father (Dr. Annesley) had not 
the same faith ; and whether she had not heard him preach 
it to others. She answered, he had it himself; and de- 
clared a little before his death, that for more than forty 
years he had no darkness, no fear, no doubt at all, of his 
being accepted in the Beloved ; but that, nevertheless, she 
did not remember to have heard him preach, no, not once, 
explicitly upon it. Whence she supposed he also looked 
upon it as the peculiar blessing of a few ; not as promised 
to all the people of God."* 

A few days after this conversation she accompanied her 
son John to Kennington, and heard him preach in the 
open air to about twenty thousand people. About three 
years afterward, she died in the faith and hope of the gos- 
pel ; having "no doubt, or fear, nor any desire (but as 
soon as God should call) to depart and to be with Christ." 
" On the day of her death," says Mr. John Wesley, " I 
went to my mother, and found her change was near. I 
sat down on the bedside. She was in her last conflict, 
unable to speak, but, I believe, quite sensible. Her look 
was calm and serene, and her eyes fixed upward, while 



* Works, vol. iii, p. 152, Am. edit. 



95 



THE CENTENARY OF 



we commended her soul to God. From three to four the 
silver cord was loosing, and the wheel breaking at the cis- 
tern ; and then, without any struggle, or sigh, or groan, 
the soul was set at liberty. We stood round the bed, and 
fulfilled her last request, uttered a little before she lost her 
speech, 'Children, as soon as I am released, sing a psalm 
of praise to God.' " 

Having given an account of her funeral, he adds, u We 
set up a plain stone at the head of her grave, inscribed 
with the following words : — ' Here lies the body of Mrs. 
Susanna Wesley, the youngest and last surviving daughter 
of Dr. Samuel Anne si ey, 

*' 4 In sure and certain hope to rise, 
And claim her mansion in the skies, 
A Christian here her flesh lay down, 
The cross exchanging for a crown. 

*• 4 True daughter of affliction, she 
Inured to pain and misery, 
Mourn'd a long night of griefs and fears, 
A legal night of seventy years. 

44 4 The Father then reveal'd his Son, 
Him in the broken bread made known : 
She knew and felt her sins forgiven. 
And found the earnest of her heaven. 

44 4 Meet for the fellowship above, 
She heard the call, Arise, my love ! 
I come, her dying looks replied, 
And lamblike as her Lord she died.' " 

By some writers these lines have been severely criti- 
cised, as not doing justice to the high intellectual charac- 
ter of this very excellent woman ; and by others they have 
been praised for their poetic beauty. The most obvious 
circumstance connected with them is, that they present a 
correct and striking picture of the minds of the two bro- 
thers, by whom they were used. These men of taste and 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



97 



of cultivated understanding knew her high mental charac- 
ter better than any of her modern admirers ; for she had 
been the best earthly " guide of their youth ;" but they 
knew that, through life, with all her sincerity, she had 
fallen short of the full Christian salvation, not having even 
dared to ask of God the direct and abiding witness of her 
adoption. That she had at last obtained this pearl of 
great price, and with her latest breath declared its reality 
and value, was to them an occasion of holy gratitude and 
rejoicing. Had their revered mother possessed the intel- 
lect of Bacon or of Newton, their glorying on her account 
would still have been, that Christ was formed in her heart 
by faith ; and that she had borne a clear and distinct wit- 
ness to the truth of that neglected doctrine which it was the 
chief business of their lives to promulgate. With St. Paul, 
they resolved to " know nothing," comparatively, not even 
intellect, or literature, or philosophy, " but Christ and him 
crucified." With respect to sentiment, Mrs. Wesley's 
epitaph is such a one as Ignatius or Polycarp might have 
written. It is Christian all over. 

In the early part of their itinerant ministry the two 
Wesleys visited Wales, where they found Mr. Howell 
Harris, an educated layman, successfully engaged in the 
same service. His views of Christian theology were Cal- 
vinistic ; and hence he rather laboured in connection with 
Mr. Whitefield than with them ; yet they were all of one 
heart, though not of one judgment, on every subject. They 
cultivated each other's friendship, and for many years were 
the helpers of each other's joy. After Mr. Harris had 
laboured with uncommon zeal and effect, chiefly in the 
principality, to bring sinners to Christ, he for a time sunk 
into a state of dejection and comparative inactivity, from 
which Mr. Charles Wesley endeavoured to rouse him by 
the following stirring epistle, which we believe was never 

5 



98 



THE CENTENARY OF 



before printed. It is a fine illustration of the writer's 
mighty faith and burning love. 

AN EPISTLE TO HOWELL HARRIS, FROM THE REV. 
CHARLES WESLEY. 
Received March 3, 1755. 

Awake, old soldier ! to the fight half-won, 
And put thy strength, and put thine armour on ! 
Nor dream thyself a vessel cast aside, 
Broken by stubborn will, and marr'd by pride. 
Most proud, self-will'd and wrathful as thou art, 
Yet God hath surely seen thy simple heart, 
Queneh'd with his blood the oft-rekindled fires, 
Nor left thee [ever] to thy vain desires ; 
But saved ten thousand times from Satan's power, 
And snatch'd thee from the gulf wide-yawning to devour. 

Then let our Saviour-God have all the praise, 
And humbly call to mind the former days, 
When He who waked thy soul to second birth 
Sent forth a new-born child to shake the earth, 
To tear the prey out of the lion's teeth, 
And spoil the trembling realms of hell and death ; 
By violent faith to seize the kingdom given, 
And open burst the gates of vanquish'd heaven. 

Still doth thy lingering indolence require 
A pattern fair to set thy soul on fire ? 
Behold his shining footsteps from afar, 
And trace with me that thunderbolt of war ! 
Legions of fiends and men in vain oppose ; 
A single champion, 'gainst a world of foes, 
He rushes on, the bloody sign lifts up, 
And shouts exulting from the mountain top ! 
His voice the strongest holds of hell o'erturns, 
His word as fire in the dry stubble burns, 
Impetuous as a torrent pours along, 
Or blasts like lightning the rebellious throng . 
Smote by his sling, and scatter'd by his eye, 
Goliath falls, and the Philistines fly ; 
Where'er he turns, appall'd with sudden dread 
Flies the foul monster vice, and hides his head ; 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



99 



Satan, with all his wicked spirits, gives place, 
And mourns his works destroy'd before the stripling's face. 

Who is this stripling ? (let my friend inquire,) 

So void of fear, so full of heavenly fire ? 

Say, hast thou ever known him ? Search and try, 

And read his features with a curious eye ; 

Mark well his love, simplicity, and zeal, 

And tell thy heart — if thou be Harris still. 

If thou art Harris still, awake, arise, 

Renew the fight, relabour up the skies, 

But first thyself with deep abhorrence see, 

And humbly own, " The Saviour wants not thee ;" 

Able from other quicken'd stones to raise 

Children of God, and instruments of grace. 

He knows to baffle and abase the proud, 

And justly styles himself the jealous God ; 

Nor will his glory to another give, 

Or share with worms his high prerogative. 

" There is none God but God :" let all confess 

The Father's fulness in the Prince of peace. 

Fall every soul before Emmanuel's throne, 

And cry, "Exalted be the Lord alone." 

Allows my Howell's heart the Saviour's claim ? 
Bows all within thee to the awful name ? 
Who honour'st Him thou must thyself despise, 
Thou must be poor and vile in thy own eyes ; 
Vile dust and sinful ashes, beast and fiend ! 
By thee and me shall the Redeemer send ? 
Is His great Spirit bound 1 or unconfined 1 
Restrain'd to us, or free for all mankind ? 
Freely he works, if thou and I stand still ; 
Blows as he lists, and sends by whom he will ; 
Chooses the weak, the foolish and the base, 
To preach his gospel, and advance his praise ; 
To blast the strong, deject the towering thought, 
Confound the wise, and bring the great to naught : 
That none may arrogate Jehovah's right 
Nor flesh presume to boast in Jesus' glorious sight. 

Purged from all self-esteem and self-regard, 
A vessel for the master's use prepared, 



• 



100 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Conscious of all thy weaknessei and wants, 
The chief of sinners, and the least of saints, 
Go forth a witness of th' atoning Lamb, 
Go forth, completely arm'd with Jesus' name. 
Trust in his name, for thou hast proved him true ; 
And, waiting on thy Lord, thy strength renew. 
He looks thee back thy strength : the gift receive, 
And, daily dying, by the gospel live. 
Live for His sake who bled upon the cross ; 
Live, to be sacrificed for Jesus' cause. 
When thou the travail of thy soul hast seen, 
More outcasts found, and forced them to come in, 
To feel the virtue of the gospel word, 
And know and glorify their pard'ning Lord ; 
When thou the work assign'd hast fully done, 
And made the Saviour's grace to thousands known ; 
Commanded then with triumph to remove, 
Incline thy head, like Him who reigns above, 
And die to pay him back his dear, expiring love. 

It was by the instrumentality of Howell Harris that 
Mr. Marmaduke Gwynne, of Garth, in Wales, was brought 
to the knowledge of the truth. His house was for some 
years a home to the Wesleys, when they visited the prin- 
cipality ; and as he was a magistrate, he was able to 
afford them protection against mobs and persecuting indi- 
viduals. The daughter of Mr. Gwynne afterward became 
the wife of Mr. Charles Wesley, whom she survived many 
years. 

The work which spread with rapidity at home, also 
broke out in the British army, then serving in Flanders. 
John Haime, belonging to the Queen's Regiment of dra- 
goons, having been brought to the knowledge of God in 
England, was stirred up to preach to his companions in 
arms, many of whom were grossly wicked. The conse- 
quence was, that some hundreds of them were converted, 
and united together in religious society. John often 
preached from twenty to thirty times in a week, and was 
so intent upon promoting the spiritual good of others as 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



101 



often to forget to take his necessary food. The following 
extract from his Life will serve to show something of his 
spirit, and that of his brethren : — " On the 1st of May, 
1745, we had a full trial of our faith at Fontenoy. Some 
days before, one of our brethren, standing at his tent-door, 
broke out into raptures of joy, knowing his departure was 
at hand ; and when he went into the field of battle de- 
clared, ' I am going to rest in the bosom of Jesus.' In- 
deed, this day God was pleased to prove our little flock, 
and to show them his mighty power. They showed such 
courage and boldness in the fight as made the officers, as 
well as soldiers, amazed. When wounded, some cried 
out, 1 1 am going to my Beloved.' Others, ' Come, Lord 
Jesus, come quickly.' And many that were not wounded 
earnestly desired to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. 
When William Clements had his arm broken by a musket- 
ball, they would have carried him out of the battle ; but 
he said, 'No; I have an arm left to hold my sword : I 
will not go yet.' When a second shot broke his other 
arm, he said, ' I am as happy as I can be out of paradise.' 
John Evans, having both his legs taken off by a cannon- 
ball, was laid across a cannon to die ; where, as long as 
he could speak, he was praising God with joyful lips. 

" For my own part, I stood the hottest fire of the enemy 
for about seven hours. But I told my comrades, 1 The 
French have no ball made that will kill me this day.' 
After about seven hours, a cannon-ball killed my horse 
under me. An officer cried out aloud, ' Haime, where is 
your God now V I answered, ' Sir, he is here with me ; 
and he will bring me out of this battle.' Presently a can- 
non-ball took off his head. My horse fell upon me, and 
some cried out, ' Haime is gone !' But I replied, ' He is 
not gone yet.' I soon disengaged myself, and walked on 
praising God. I was exposed both to the enemy, and to 
our own horse ; but that did not discourage me at all ; for 



102 



THE CENTENARY OF 



I knew the God of Jacob was with me. I had a long 
way to go through all our horse ; the balls flying on every 
side. And all the way lay multitudes bleeding, groaning, 
or just dead. Surely I was as in the fiery furnace ; but it 
did not singe a hair of my head. The hotter the battle 
grew, the more strength was given me. I was as full of 
joy as I could contain. As I was quitting the field I met 
one of our brethren with a little dish in his hand, seeking 
water. I did not know him at first, being covered with 
blood. He smiled, and said, ¥ Brother Haime, I have got a 
sore wound.' I asked, ' Have you got Christ in your heart V 
He said, f I have, and I have had him all this day. I have 
seen many good and glorious days, with much of God, but 
I never saw more of it than this day. Glory be to God 
for all his mercies !' Among the dead there was great 
plenty of watches, and of gold and silver. One asked, 
' Will you not get something V I answered, ' No : I have 
got Christ. I will have no plunder.' "* 

Next to their own country, the sympathies of the bro- 
thers were awakened in behalf of Ireland, where Protest- 
antism had fallen into a profound sleep, under the shade 
of the civil power ; and popery, ever watchful and active 
for the attainment of its own worldly and selfish ends, was 
rapidly leading the body of the population into supersti- 
tion and sin. After visiting the principal counties in Eng- 
land, Mr. John Wesley went to Ireland, in the year 1747, 
as a preacher of righteousness, where he met at once with 
formidable opposition and encouraging success. He was 
immediately followed by his brother, who preached with 
equal zeal and power in several of the most important 
towns, unmoved by the Romish mobs, some of which 
seemed determined to shed his blood. Some of his es- 
capes were all but miraculous. After patient perseverance 



* Experience of Early Methodist Preachers, p. 35-37. 



WES LEY AN METHODISM. 



103 



their object was gained. Preachers were stationed in 
several of the principal towns ; circuits and societies were 
formed ; a standard was raised against the farther en- 
croachments of anti-christian error ; many thousands of 
nominal Christians became the spiritual worshippers of 
God ; and not a few of the deluded Romanists were not 
only taught to distinguish between the religion of Christ, 
and the commandments of men, but believed in the Lord 
Jesus to the saving of the soul. 

For several years Mr. Charles Wesley occasionally 
visited Ireland, where his energetic ministry was signally 
owned of God in the conversion of men. His brother was 
accustomed to visit it to the end of his life. Sometimes 
they were rudely treated by the populace, who were 
anxious to resist all religious and moral innovations, and 
perpetuate the existence of popery and crime. Once Mr. 
Charles Wesley, with several of the preachers, had the 
honour of being presented by the grand jury of Cork as a 
" rogue and a vagabond." Yet these venerable men found 
an ample reward in the good which was manifestly done 
through their instrumentality. An efficient native ministry- 
was raised up ; a distinct, though not an independent, re- 
ligious connection was formed ; so that the Irish Method- 
ists had their own annual conference, became a distin- 
guished part of the Methodist body, and have had the 
gratification of presenting to the Wesleyan itinerancy 
some of its most able and useful ministers. Among these 
may be mentioned the revered names of Thomas Walsh, 
William Myles, Walter Griffith, and Adam Clarke ; to say 
nothing of several who are now alive, and are serving their 
generation, by the will of God, both at home and in the 
wide field of missions. 

When Mr. Wesley first visited Ireland, the Protestant 
church there, with a few honourable exceptions, was in a 
■ad state of lukewarmness and indifference. Many of the 



104 



THE CENTENARY OF 



clergy were criminally supine and inactive ; and not a few 
of the evils which the good Bishop Bedell, a hundred 
years before had in vain sought to remedy, existed in un- 
diminished power, and were in active operation. While 
Mr. Wesley called the people to repentance, and enforced 
the necessity of spiritual religion, as opposed to mere 
opinions and forms of worship, he administered reproof to 
his clerical brethren in a manner the most delicate and 
inoffensive, yet with great affection and faithfulness. His 
manner of doing this was somewhat singular. He pub- 
lished a small tract, entitled, " A Short Method of Con- 
verting all the Roman Catholics in the Kingdom of Ire- 
land, humbly proposed to the bishops and clergy of that 
kingdom." The " method" indeed appeared very " short" 
and simple. The detail of the plan occupied only a few 
pages. But the proposal itself was nothing less than a 
return, on the part of the great body of the clergy, to the 
true apostolical spirit, doctrine, and practice. 

" It is a melancholy consideration," says he, " to those 
who love the Protestant interest, that so small a part of 
this nation is yet reformed from popery. They cannot 
observe without a sensible concern, that, in many parts 
of the kingdom, there are still ten, nay, fifteen, perhaps 
upward of twenty, papists to one Protestant. Nor can 
they see any prospect of its being otherwise ; few papists 
being brought over to our church, notwithstanding all the 
methods which have been used, while many Protestants 
are seduced from it. 

" Yet they cannot but earnestly desire that all the pa- 
pists were convinced of their errors. How much would 
this redound to the glory of God, who willeth all to come 
to the knowledge of his truth ! How greatly would it ad- 
vantage their own souls, both in this world and in the 
world to come ! What an advantage would it be to the 
kingdom in general, to be no longer divided against itself, 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



105 



to have the grand cause of contention removed, and all its 
inhabitants of one heart and one mind! And how highly 
would it advance both the honour and interest of our gra- 
cious sovereign, to have all his subjects cordially united 
together, thinking and speaking the same thing ! 

" Why, then, is not this desirable end pursued with a 
vigour proportionable to its importance ? Is it because we 
despair of any success, because we think it impossible to 
be attained ? But why should we imagine it to be impos- 
sible 1 A common and plausible answer is, 1 Because the 
papists are so bigoted to their clergy ; believing all they 
affirm, however contrary both to Scripture and reason, 
and doing all that they direct ; whom they generally be- 
lieve to be the holiest and wisest of men.' 

" Undoubtedly this is a considerable difficulty in the 
way. And yet I cannot think it is insurmountable. Still 
I conceive it is possible to convince all the papists, pro- 
vided there are proper instruments for the work. And 
what instruments are so proper as the clergy 1 not only 
as they are in every place, distributed through the whole 
nation, and always ready on the spot for the work ; but 
likewise, as it more immediately belongs to them ; as it is 
no inconsiderable branch of their business who are pecu- 
liarly set apart to watch over the souls of men as they 
must give account. 

" But what way can the clergy take, with any proba- 
bility of success ? There is one way, and one only ; one 
that will (not probably, but) infallibly succeed. If this 
way is taken, I am willing to stake my life upon the suc- 
cess of it. And it is a plain, simple way, such as may be 
taken by any man, though but of a small capacity. For it 
requires no peculiar depth of understanding, no extraordi- 
nary height of learning ; but only a share of common 
sense, and an honest, upright heart. 

" It was observed that the grand difficulty of the work 



106 



THE CENTENARY OE 



lies in the strong attachment of the papists to their clergy. 
Here, therefore, we are to begin ; we are to strike at the 
root ; and if this bigotry be but removed, whatever error 
or superstition is built upon it will fall to the ground. 

" Now this may be effectually done thus : — The papists 
themselves allow, that one set of clergy were holier and 
wiser even than their own, namely, the apostles. They 
allow these both to have lived and preached better than 
the present clergy even of the Roman Church. 

" Here, therefore, is the short and sure method. Let 
all the clergy of the Church of Ireland only live like the 
apostles, and preach like the apostles, and the thing is done. 

" The Romans, on the same ground that they prefer the 
apostles before their own clergy, will then prefer ours be- 
fore them ; and when they once do this, when we have 
carried this point, when their attachment to our clergy is 
stronger than that to their own, they will be convinced by 
hundreds, till there is not a Roman left in the kingdom of 
Ireland."* 

The writer then goes on to describe the manner in 
which the apostles lived and preached, — their life of faith, 
and of active, burning love ; their self-denial, and holy 
circumspection; their temperance, zeal, and charity; their 
boldness and fidelity in the cause of Christ ; their strenu- 
ous inculcation of those capital truths, that a man is justi- 
fied by faith, without the deeds of the law ; the necessity 
of the new birth ; and holiness of life, flowing from a new 
nature, the effect of the Holy Spirit's operation. The ad- 
vice thus given about the middle of the last century has 
been more recently adopted by the Irish clergy, to a con- 
siderable extent, and with the results which Mr. Wesley 
declared would follow. It is, however, lamentable to find 
that some of the persons, to whom this description for- 



* Works, vol. v, pp. 795, 796, Am. edit. 



WESLEVAN METHODISM. 



107 



merly applied, seem to be, at present, determined, in the 
plenitude of their angry zeal for certain peculiarities of 
theological opinion, to frown down the faithful men who 
were in the field before them, and to whom they them- 
selves are under the deepest obligations. These are not 
now the ministers whom Mr. Wesley describes. The 
apostles loved all the friends of their great Master, and 
rejoiced whenever he was preached. Had Mr. Wesley's 
suggestions been generally regarded at an earlier period, 
many of the evils which have afflicted Ireland would have 
been happily prevented. His labours were as patriotic as 
they were benevolent and pious. 

Though the personal ministry of the Wesleys was con- 
fined to the United Kingdom, their influence soon extended 
to distant nations. Philip Embury, a local preacher from 
Ireland, having emigrated to America, settled in New- 
York, where he began to preach the truth of God. In 
the year 1766, he formed a society there, consisting doubt- 
less of persons who had been converted through his la- 
bours. They erected a chapel for their own accommoda- 
tion, and that others also might statedly hear the word of 
life. About the same time. Captain Webb, an officer in 
the British army, and a zealous preacher, visited New- 
York and several other places, where the people wondered 
to see a man in military uniform, and bearing a sword, 
occupying the pulpit, and with great power and earnest- 
ness calling sinners to repentance. Many were deeply im- 
pressed under his word. Some time after, Mr. Straw- 
bridge, another local preacher from Ireland, settled in 
Maryland, where he pursued the same course as that 
which his brethren had adopted in New- York and its 
neighbourhood. He preached to the people with holy 
unction, formed a society, and, with the assistance of its 
members and of other well-disposed persons, built a log 
chapel for the public benefit. He was followed by 



108 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Mr. Williams, who travelled largely through the country, 
spreading the Wesleyan publications wherever he went ; 
and by Mr. John King, from England, who publicly en- 
forced the truth which he had received. The unpretend- 
ing labours of these devout men were crowned with suc- 
cess. Several were convinced of sin, and brought into 
Christian light and liberty ; and some of the young con- 
verts, constrained by the love of Christ, began to teach 
others the nature and blessedness of true religion, and the 
way to attain it. 

In the year 1769 we find the following entry in the 
Minutes of Conference : — " We have a pressing call from 
our brethren at New-York, (who have built a preaching- 
house,) to come over and help them. Who is willing to 
go ? A. Richard Boardman and Joseph Pillmoor. Q. What 
can we do further in token of our brotherly love ? A. Let 
us now make a collection among ourselves. This was 
immediately done ; and out of it fifty pounds were allotted 
toward the payment of their debt, and about twenty given 
to our brethren for their passage." This was in all pro- 
bability the very first collection ever made among the Me- 
thodists for a directly missionary purpose. It was raised 
in the conference, and amounted to the goodly sum of 
seventy pounds, which was applied in the manner here 
specified. It is worthy of remark, that in the old chapel 
at Leeds the first Methodist missionaries received their 
appointment, and the first missionary collection was made; 
and that, after a lapse of more than sixty years, the first 
Methodist missionary meeting was held under the same 
roof. 

Messrs. Boardman and Pilmoor, with those who were 
in the field before them, went abroad in various directions 
preaching the word. Yet they were not able to meet the 
spiritual necessities of the people ; so that in the Minutes 
of 1771 it is said, " Our brethren in America call aloud 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



109 



for help. Who are willing to go over and help them ? 
.A. Five were willing. The two appointed were Francis 
Asbury and Richard Wright." Within a few years they 
were followed by George Shadford, Thomas Rankin, 
Martin Rodda, and James Dempster ; some of whom re- 
turned to England on the breaking out of the revolutionary 
war. Mr. Asbury found an asylem in the house of a 
powerful and influential friend ; and the native preachers 
pursued their evangelical labours, with zeal and perse- 
verance, unappalled by either local opposition, or popular 
alarm. One of their number, Mr. Freeborn Garrettson, a 
man of a fine spirit, and of apostolic piety and zeal, says, 
" Amidst the clash of war, God in a glorious manner pros- 
pered his work in awakening and converting thousands 
of souls ; so that in process of time the peninsula became 
comparatively as the garden of the Lord. There was a 
blessed work among the African slaves ; and in no part 
of my labours have I had more delightful seasons than I 
had in preaching to them." Thus " they went forth in 
the power of the Spirit, disseminating divine truth, and 
suffering much persecution and many privations."* 

While this work was in progress in America, Dr. 
Thomas Coke, a clergyman of the Church of England, 
and a member of the University of Oxford, resigned his 
curacy of South Petherton, and connected himself with 
Mr. Wesley, to serve him as a son in the gospel. His 
union with the Methodist body was most seasonable and 
advantageous. Under the direction of Mr. Wesley, he 
took the superintendence of the foreign work ; and for 
many years was such an example of missionary zeal and 
enterprise as the Christian church has rarely seen. His 
services, in connection with the Methodist missions, were 
marked by an energy, disinterestedness, and perseverance 



* Wesleyan Methodist Magazine, vol. i, pp. 675, 676. 



no 



THE CENTENARY OF 



which can never be forgotten ; and in importance and suc- 
cess they were second only to those of the venerated man 
whom he owned as his father in the Lord. 

On the cessation of the American war, and the acknow- 
ledgment of the independence of the United States, Mr. 
Wesley gave to his societies there the form and character 
of a church ; having in itself all the ordinances of Chris- 
tianity. For this proceeding he was severely censured 
at the time ; but the result has shown that he was guided 
by a sound discretion, and formed a just estimate of the 
religious necessities of that country. The measure has 
already been attended with the most important spiritual 
benefits to millions of people ; and unborn generations will 
doubtless derive from it the highest advantages. The 
whole affair is thus recorded by himself in the Minutes 
of Conference : — 

" What is the state of our societies in North America ? 
A. It may best appear from the following letter : — * 

"Bristol Sept. 10, 1784. 
" TO DR. COKE, MR. ASBURY, AND OUR BRETHREN, IN 
NORTH AMERICA. 

" 1. By an uncommon train of providences many of the 
provinces of North America are totally disjointed from 
their mother country, and erected into independent states. 
The English government has no authority over them, 
either civil or ecclesiastical, any more than over the states 
of Holland. A civil authority is exercised over them, 
partly by the congress, partly by the provincial assemblies. 
But no one either exercises or claims any ecclesiastical 
authority at all. In this peculiar situation, some thousands 
of the inhabitants of these states desire my advice ; and 

* " If any one is minded to dispute concerning diocesan episco- 
pacy, he may dispute. But I have better work." 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



Ill 



in compliance with their desire, I have drawn up a little 
sketch, 

<s 2. Lord King's ' Account of the Primitive Church,' 
convinced me many years ago, that bishops and presbyters 
are the same order, and consequently have the same right 
to ordain. For many years I have been importuned, from 
time to time, to exercise this right, by ordaining part of 
our travelling preachers. But I have still refused, not 
only for peace' sake, but because I was determined, as 
little as possible, to violate the established order of the 
National Church to which I belonged. 

" 3. But the case is widely different between England 
and North America. Here there are bishops who have a 
legal jurisdiction. In America there are none, neither 
any parish ministers. So that for some hundreds of miles 
together, there is none either to baptize or administer the 
Lord's supper. Here therefore my scruples are at an end : 
and I conceive myself at full liberty, as I violate no order, 
and invade no man's right, by appointing and sending 
labourers into the harvest. 

" 4. I have accordingly appointed Dr. Coke and Mr. 
Francis Asbury, to be joint superintendents over our bre- 
thren in North America ; as also Richard Whatcoat and 
Thomas Vasey, to act as elders among them by baptizing 
and administering the Lord's supper. And I have pre- 
pared a liturgy, little differing from that of the Church of 
England, (I think the best constituted National Church in 
the world,) which I advise all the travelling preachers to 
use, on the Lord's day, in all the congregations, reading 
the litany only on Wednesdays and Fridays, and praying 
extempore on all other days. I also advise the elders 
to administer the supper of the Lord on every Lord's 
day. 

" 5. If any one will point out a more rational and Scrip- 
tural way of feeding and guiding those poor sheep in the 



112 



THE CENTENARY OF 



wilderness, 1 will gladly embrace it. At present I cannot 
see any better method than that I have taken. 

" 6. It has been proposed to desire the English bishops 
to ordain part of our preachers in America. But to this I 
object, (1.) I desired the bishop of London to ordain only 
one ; but could not prevail. (2.) If they consented, we 
know the slowness of their proceedings ; but the matter 
admits of no delay. (3.) If they would ordain them now, 
they would likewise expect to govern them. And how 
grievously would this entangle us ! (4.) As our American 
brethren are now totally disentangled both from the state 
and from the English hierarchy, we dare not entangle 
them again, either with the one or the other. They are 
now at full liberty simply to follow the Scriptures and the 
primitive church. And we judge it best that they should 
stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has so strangely 
made them free." 

From the time at which these arrangements were car- 
ried into practical effect, the work of God in America 
prospered beyond all former example. Everywhere there 
was a rapid increase of native preachers, who followed 
the scattered population through immense districts of 
country, not forgetting the African slaves ; and outcasts, 
for whom no man had previously cared, were gathered 
into the church by thousands. " The wilderness and the 
solitary place" were literally " glad for" these itinerant 
evangelists ; and the moral " desert rejoiced and blossomed 
as the rose." " Thanksgiving and the voice of melody" 
were heard in the deep and lonely forest ; and spiritual 
enjoyments, the effects of divine truth, and of that " great 
grace" which was upon them, everywhere cheered the 
people under all their privations and labour. 

In no part of the world have the Wesleyan teaching 
and discipline been of more signal benefit than among the 
negroes in the West India islands, formerly a scene of 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



113 



the most cruel oppressions. Nathaniel Gilbert, Esq., the 
speaker in the house of assembly in Antigua, coming to 
England for the recovery of his impaired health, was led 
to attend the ministry of Mr. Wesley, which he found to 
be the power of God to the salvation of his soul. Happy 
in the enjoyment of the divine favour, and full of holy zeal, 
he returned to Antigua in the year 1760. Regardless of 
popular opinion and prejudice, and feeling that the bond 
and the free are all one in Christ, he began to teach Chris- 
tianity to the African slaves, many of whom, by the bless- 
ing of God upon his instrumentality, were made the Lord's 
free men. Nearly two hundred persons were united toge- 
ther in holy fellowship under his superintendence. These 
were his joy and crown, while profane men, enemies of 
religion, justice, and humanity, treated him with bitter 
hostility for thus attempting to raise the negro character, 
and arrest the progress of ungodliness and crime. While 
thus usefully and honourably employed, he was mysteri- 
ously called away by death ; and the children of his pious 
exertions were left as sheep without a shepherd. 

Yet the little flock were not finally forsaken. The 
dock-yard at Antigua being in want of shipwrights, appli- 
cation was made to the government at home for some 
suitable persons to be sent thither from England. Among 
the persons selected was John Baxter, of the royal dock 
at Chatham, who had been connected with the Methodist 
society about twelve years, and had also for some time 
been a class-leader and a local preacher. On his arrival 
he collected the remains of the society which had been 
formed by Mr. Gilbert ; and writing to Mr. Wesley under 
the date of April 2d, 1778, he says, " The work that God 
began by Mr. Gilbert is still remaining. The black peo- 
ple have been kept together by two black women, who 
have continued praying and meeting with those who at- 
tended every night. 1 preached to about thirty on Satur- 



114 



THE CENTENARY OF 



day night ; on Sunday morning, to about the same num- 
ber ; and in the afternoon of the same day to about four 
or five hundred. The old members desire that I would 
inform you, that you have many children in Antigua, whom 
you never saw. I hope we shall have an interest in your 
prayers, and that our Christian brethren will pray for us."* 

For about eight years this holy and indefatigable man 
continued his labours before the arrival of missionaries to 
assist him. During this period he worked in the dock- 
yard during the day, and in the evening and on Sundays 
taught Christianity to the people ; and with such success 
that about two thousand persons were united together in 
religious society. Such an example reminds us of St; 
Paul, who, when it was necessary, laboured with his own 
hands, that he might support himself, and those that were 
with him, while at the same time he was " making many 
rich" in spiritual knowledge and blessings. 

The manner in which Mr. Baxter obtained help, and by 
means of which a permanent form was given to the West 
India mission, was equally providential and unexpected. 
Dr. Coke had embarked in September, 1786, for Nova 
Scotia, attended by three missionaries, Messrs. Warrener, 
Hammet, and Clarke. Mr. Warrener was appointed to 
the West Indies by Mr. Wesley ; and it was designed 
that he should sail thither from North America. It was 
intended that the doctor should fix the other two in the 
most necessitous and promising stations which might come 
under his notice. The voyage itself was most afflicting 
and calamitous ; but its results were happy beyond ex- 
pression. The vessel, during the greater part of its at- 
tempt to reach the destined port, was exposed to tempests 
which threatened nothing less than destruction ; and at 
different times scarcely the slightest hope of preservation 



* Drew's Life of Dr. Coke, p. 168, Am. edit. 



WESLE VAN METHODISM. 



115 



remained. The ship, having arrived on the banks of New- 
foundland, was already more than half a wreck ; the com- 
pany on board were placed on a reduced allowance of 
water ; and as there was no probability of landing where 
they had intended, they resolved to alter their course, and 
endeavour to reach the West Indies. Scarcely had they 
given a new direction to their movements, than, to use the 
doctor's own expression, it seemed as if angels blew the 
gale, and they were carried directly to Antigua, where 
Mr. Baxter was labouring alone, and the Lord Jesus had 
merciful designs toward the neglected people. Here they 
safely landed on the morning of Christmas-day ; and on 
walking up the town of St. John, the doctor met Mr. Bax- 
ter on his way to the chapel, for the purpose of conduct- 
ing the worship of God, and of inviting the attention of 
the people to the advent of the Messiah. They were un- 
known to each other, except by reputation ; but when their 
names were announced, they embraced each other with a 
strength of affection, and a feeling of joyous surprise, 
which can be more readily conceived than expressed. 
On that memorable day the doctor twice occupied Mr. 
Baxter's pulpit, and also administered the Lord's supper 
to the people. During his stay in the West Indies, which 
continued about six weeks, the doctor was received with 
the utmost cordiality. He was once invited to a public 
dinner, at which the duke of Clarence, afterward William 
IV., was present ; and had the offer of a salary of five 
hundred pounds per annum if he would remain in Antigua. 
But, like his revered father in the gospel, he was too 
intent upon the spread of Christ's religion in the world to 
confine his labours to any one place. He visited several 
of the islands, that he might know from actual inspection 
the openings which they presented for missionary labour ; 
and having fixed Mr. Warrener at Antigua, Mr. Clarke at 
St. Vincent's, and Mr. Hammet at St. Christopher's, he 



116 



THE CENTENARY OF 



sailed for the American continent. From this time the 
Wesleyan mission in the West Indies was carried on with 
increasing success. It had obtained too deep a hold upon 
the heart of Dr. Coke, to be ever either forgotten or ne- 
glected. The mission, begun under these circumstances, 
has been a means of salvation to many thousands of re- 
deemed men ; and with the faithful co-operation of other 
bodies of Christians, it has given freedom in those beauti- 
ful colonies to nearly a million of human beings, once the 
most oppressed and degraded of their race. For it is not 
conceivable that West India slavery would at this day 
have been extinct, had it not been for the Christian train- 
ing which many of the negroes received, and for the pub- 
licity which the Christian missions gave to their oppres- 
sions and wrongs. A skeptic may perhaps doubt whether 
there was any thing peculiar in the successive storms 
which drove Dr. Coke and his fellow-missionaries so 
widely out of their course ; but the man who seriously 
believes his Bible can scarcely forbear to say, " This was 
the finger of God !" Little did Dr. Coke, and the three de- 
voted men who sailed with him, imagine, during their 
perilous voyage, that they were destined to lay the foun- 
dation of a work in the West Indies, which, in the com- 
paratively short period of fifty years, should accomplish 
the extinction of slavery. To teach the slaves content- 
ment, and conduct them to a world where the voice of the 
oppressor is never heard, were the only objects for which 
they even dared to hope. 

The anticipated mission to the British provinces of 
North America was not forgotten, though it was not be- 
gun by the men whom Mr. Wesley and Dr. Coke had in- 
tended for that service. In Nova-Scotia, Mr. Black, an 
emigrant from England, having obtained the blessing of a 
personal acceptance with God through faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ, began to recommend to others what he him- 



WESLEYAN METHODISM 



117 



self had found. He was soon after assisted and encou- 
raged in his work by a visit from Freeborn Garrettson. 
A mission was also commenced about the same time in 
Newfoundland, by Mr. John M' Geary ; so that before Mr. 
Wesley went to his reward, besides the Methodist Church 
in the United States, nineteen missionaries were employed 
under his direction in the West Indies, and in British North 
America. 

As he advanced in life, he contemplated the success of 
this great work, both at home and abroad, with increasing 
delight and gratitude. In the year 1777, he laid the foun- 
dation of a new chapel in the City-road, London, to be 
used instead of the Foundry, which he and his fellow- 
labourers had occupied from the beginning. On this oc- 
casion he preached and published a sermon, in which he 
makes the following remarks : — " Methodism, so called, 
is the old religion, the religion of the Bible, the religion 
of the primitive church, the religion of the Church of Eng- 
land. This old religion is no other than love, the love of 
God, and of all mankind ; the loving God with all our 
heart, and soul, and strength, as having first loved us, — 
as the fountain of all the good we have received, and of 
all we ever hope to enjoy ; and the loving every soul 
which God hath made, every man on earth, as our own 
soul. This love is the great medicine of life ; the never- 
failing remedy for all the evils of a disordered world ; for 
all the miseries and vices of men. Wherever this is, there 
are virtue and happiness going hand in hand ; there is 
humbleness of mind, gentleness, long-suffering, the whole 
image of God ; and at the same time a peace that passeth 
all understanding, with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 
This religion of love, and joy, and peace, has its seat in 
the inmost soul ; but is ever showing itself by its fruits, 
continually springing up, not only in all innocence, (for 
love worketh no ill to his neighbour,) but likewise in every 



118 



THE CENTENA.R Y OF 



kind of beneficence, spreading virtue and happiness all 
around it. 

" Just at the time when we wanted little of filling up 
the measure of our iniquities, two or three clergymen of 
the Church of England began vehemently to call sinners 
to repentance. Many thousands gathered together to hear 
them ; and in every place where they came, many began 
to show such a concern for religion as they never had 
done before. Many were in a short time deeply convinced 
of the number and heinousness of their sins, of their evil 
tempers, of their inability to help themselves, and of the 
insignificancy of their outside religion. And from this 
repentance sprang fruits meet for repentance. The whole 
form of their life was changed. They ceased to do evil, 
and learned to do well. Neither was this all ; but over 
and above this outward change, they began to experience 
inward religion. The love of God was shed abroad in 
their hearts, which they enjoy to this day. They love 
him, because he first loved us ; and this love constrains 
them to love all mankind, and inspires them with every 
holy and heavenly temper, with the mind which was in 
Christ. Hence it is that they are now uniform in their 
behaviour, unblameable in all manner of conversation ; and 
in whatsoever state they are, they have learned therewith 
to be content. Thus they calmly travel on through life, 
never repining, or murmuring, or dissatisfied, till the hour 
comes that they shall drop this covering of earth, and re- 
turn to the Father of spirits. 

" This revival of religion has spread to such a degree 
as neither we nor our fathers had known. How extensive 
has it been ! There is scarce a considerable town in the 
kingdom, where some have not been made witnesses of it. 
It has spread to every age and sex, to most orders and 
degrees of men ; and even to abundance of those who, in 
time past, were accounted monsters of wickedness. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



119 



" Consider the swiftness as well as the extent of it. In 
what age has such a number of sinners been recovered, in 
so short a time, from the error of their ways 1 When has 
true religion, I will not say since the Reformation, but 
since the time of Constantine the Great, made so large a 
progress in any nation, within so small a space 1 I believe, 
hardly can ancient or modern history afford a parallel 
instance. 

" We may likewise observe the depth of the work so 
extensively and swiftly wrought. Multitudes have been 
thoroughly convinced of sin ; and shortly after, so filled 
with joy and love, that whether they were in the body, or 
out of the body, they could hardly tell ; and in the power 
of this love they have trampled under foot whatever the 
world accounts either terrible or desirable, having evi- 
denced, in the severest trials, an invariable and tender 
good will to mankind, and all the fruits of holiness. Now, 
so deep a repentance, so strong a faith, so fervent a love, 
so unblemished holiness, wrought in so many persons in 
so short a time, the world has not seen for many ages. 

" No less remarkable is the purity of the religion which 
has extended itself so deeply and swiftly. I speak par- 
ticularly as to the doctrines held by those who are the 
subjects of it. Those of the Church of England, at least, 
must acknowledge this ; for where is there a body of peo- 
ple who, number for number, so closely adhere to the doc- 
trines of the Church ? 

" Nor is their religion more pure from heresy than it 
is from superstition. In former times, wherever any un- 
usual religious concern has appeared, there has sprung 
up with it a zeal for things which were no part of religion. 
But it has not been so in the present case. No stress 
has been laid on any thing, as though it was necessary to 
salvation, but what is plainly contained in the word of 
God. And of the things contained therein, the stress laid 



120 



THK CKXTEN'ARY OF 



on each has been in proportion to the nearness of its re- 
lation lo what is there laid down as the sum of all, — the 
love of God and our neighbour. So pure both from super- 
stition and error is the religion which has lately spread 
in this nation. 

" It is likewise rational. It is as pure from enthusiasm 
as from superstition. It is true, the contrary has been 
continually affirmed ; but to affirm is one thing, to prove 
is another. Who will prove that it is enthusiasm to love 
God ? yea, to love him with all our heart ? Who is able 
to make good this charge against the love of all mankind ? 
(I do but just touch upon the general heads.) But if you 
cannot make it good, own this religion to be sober, manly, 
rational, divine. 

" It is also pure from bigotry. Those who hold it are 
not bigoted to opinions. They would hold right opinions ; 
but they are peculiarly cautious not to rest the weight of 
Christianity there. They have no such overgrown fond- 
ness for any opinions as to think those alone will make 
them Christians ; or to confine their affection or esteem 
to those that agree with them therein. Nor are they 
bigoted to any particular branch even of practical religion. 
They are not attached to one more than another. They 
aim at uniform, universal obedience. They contend for 
nothing circumstantial, as if it were essential to religion ; 
but for every thing in its own order. 

" They dread that bitter zeal, that spirit of persecution, 
which has so often accompanied the spirit of reformation. 
They do not approve of using any kind of violence, on any 
pretence, in matters of religion. They allow no method 
of bringing any to the knowledge of the truth, except the 
methods of reason and persuasion ; and their practice is 
consistent with their profession. They do not, in fact, 
hinder their dependants from worshipping God, in every 
respect, according to their own conscience. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



121 



* But if these things are so, may we not well say, 
1 What hath God wrought !' For such a work, if we con- 
sider the extensiveness of it, the swiftness with which it 
has spread, the depth of the religion so swiftly diffused, 
and its purity from all corrupt mixtures, we must acknow- 
ledge, cannot easily be paralleled, in all these concurrent 
circumstances, by any thing that is found in the English 
annals since Christianity was first planted in this island."* 

As Mr. Wesley declined into the vale of years, the per- 
petuity of that system of doctrine and discipline, which 
had been so signally owned of God in the conversion and 
salvation of men, became a matter of anxious concern 
both to himself and his people. The appointment of the 
preachers to the various chapels, and to the consequent 
pastoral charge of the societies, presented the greatest 
difficulty. It had been agreed that, after the death of the 
two brothers, the power to station the preachers should be 
vested in the conference ; and hence arose the inquiry, 
" Who constitute the conference ?" the men who had 
hitherto borne that name being simply such preachers as 
Mr. Wesley had personally invited to meet him once a 
year to aid him with their advice, as to the most effectual 
means of carrying on the work of God. The preachers 
felt the importance of the case, and requested Mr. Wesley 
to consider what could be done in this emergency ; so 
that, in the event of his death, the connection might not 
be dissolved. He took legal advice, and drew up the 
" Deed of Declaration," constituting one hundred preach- 
ers by name, " the Conference of the people called Me- 
thodists ;" at the same time defining their powers, and 
making provision for the filling up of all vacancies occa- 
sioned by death, superannuation, or expulsion. This deed 
he caused to be enrolled in his Majesty's High Court of 



* Works, vol. i, pp. 493-496, Am. edit. 
6 



122 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Chancery, in the year 1784. It created some uneasiness 
at the time, particularly among the preachers whose names 
were omitted ; but that uneasiness soon passed away ; and 
the deed has unquestionably been the greatest benefit of 
the kind ever conferred upon the connection. From the 
time of Mr. Wesley's death, it has been strictly acted upon 
by the conference, and has preserved the unity of the 
body, by securing to the congregations and societies that 
itinerant ministry, for the exercise of which every Me- 
thodist chapel was originally built. 

With respect to this document, Mr. Wesley says, 
" Without some authentic deed, fixing the meaning of the 
term, the moment I died the conference had been nothing. 
Therefore any of the proprietors of the land on which our 
preaching-houses were built, might have seized them for 
their own use ; and there would have been none to hinder 
them: for the conference would have been nobody, a mere 
empty name. 

" You see, then, in all the pains I have taken about this 
necessary deed, I have been labouring, not for myself, (I 
have no interest therein,) but for the whole body of Me- 
thodists ; in order to fix them upon such a foundation as is 
likely to stand as long as the sun and moon endure. That 
is, if they continue to walk by faith, and show forth their 
faith by their works ; otherwise, I pray God to root out 
the memorial of them from the earth."* 

The maintenance of the conference in the full posses- 
sion and exercise of the powers with which he invested 
it, Mr. Wesley believed to be the only means of effectu- 
ally preserving the unity and purity of the body ; and of 
this every one must be convinced who duly considers the 
subject. The conference was not intrusted with those 
powers for its own sake, as has sometimes been insinu- 



* Works, vol. vii, pp. 309, 310, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



123 



ated, but for the benefit of the connection in all its de- 
partments. It is the centre of union to the body. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE DEATH OP THE TWO WESLEYS, AND OF THEIR PRIN- 
CIPAL CLERICAL FRIENDS. 

Mr. Wesley was spared to a very advanced period of 
life ; so that he superintended the itinerant ministry, and 
the societies which he had formed, till both had acquire^ 
an encouraging degree of stability. He survived all the 
clerical friends with whom he had been early connected 
in the work of God. Among these was the Rev. James 
Hervey, rector of Weston-Favell, in Northamptonshire. 
He was a member of the Methodist society in Oxford, 
being a commoner of Lincoln College when Mr. Wesley 
was a fellow. During his residence at the University, he 
was under great obligations to Mr. Wesley, who taught 
him Hebrew, and showed him other marks of especial 
kindness ; which led him, on Mr. Wesley's departure to 
Georgia, to say, " My father, shall I call you, or my friend? 
for indeed you have been both to me."* He was a man 
of unquestionable piety, and very exemplary in the dis- 
charge of clerical duties in his parish. His writings, 
though disfigured by an artificial and inflated style, have 
been very useful, particularly in leading devout people to 
connect the love of nature, and admiration of the works 
of God, with evangelical sentiment. Having embraced 
the scheme of absolute predestination, he was induced, 
toward the close of life, to write against Mr. Wesley ; but, 
on his death-bed, he directed the unfinished manuscript to 



* Arminian Magazine, vol. i, p. 131. 



124 



THE CENTENARY OF 



be destroyed. It was, however, by Mr. Hervey's brother, 
placed in the hands of William Cudworth, a man of Anti- 
nomian principles, who had separated from Mr. White- 
field. By him it was understood to be largely interpo- 
lated ; so that, when it was published, it was found to 
contain bitter and cruel sarcasms and reflections upon Mr. 
Wesley, which, there is reason to believe, never emanated 
from the alleged author, who was now no more. Mr. 
Wesley deeply felt this act of injustice. In Mr. Hervey's 
name, he was charged with such a want of common honesty 
that even Turks, Deists, and atheists would disown him. 
He defended himself in the spirit of Christian meekness, 
and with his accustomed acumen and force of argument. 
The following is his emphatic conclusion : " And is this 
thy voice, my son David 1 is this thy tender, loving, grate- 
ful spirit ? No. The hand of Joab is in all this ! I ac- 
knowledge the hand, the heart of William Cudworth. I 
perceive it was not an empty boast, (as I was, at first, in- 
clined to think,) which he uttered to Mr. Pearse, at Bury, 
before my friend went to paradise, 1 Mr. Hervey has given 
me full power to put out and put in what I please.' 

" But he, too, has gone hence ; and he knows now 
whether I am an honest man or no. It cannot be long, 
even in the course of nature, before I shall follow him. 

' My race of glory's run, and race of shame ; 
And I shall shortly be with them at rest.' 

1 could wish, till then, to be at peace with all men ; but 
the will of the Lord be done ! Peace or war, ease or pain, 
life or death is good, so I may but ' finish my course with 
joy, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord 
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.' " Mr. 
Hervey died on Christmas-day, 1758. 

One of the most remarkable of Mr. Wesley's clerical 
friends and fellow-labourers was Mr. Grimshaw, of 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



125 



Haworth, in the west of Yorkshire ; a man of apostolic 
simplicity and zeal. For three years he had continued 
under a distressing conviction of his guilt and danger, 
when, one day, in the year 1742, being in the utmost 
agony of mind, there was clearly represented to his be- 
lieving view the Lord Jesus Christ pleading with God the 
Father in his behalf, and obtaining for him a free pardon. 
" I was now," says he, " willing to renounce myself, and 
to embrace Christ for my all in all. what light and 
comfort did I enjoy in my own soul ! and what a taste of 
the pardoning love of God !" 

After this " his lively manner of representing the truths 
of God could not fail of being much talked of, and bring- 
ing many hundreds out of curiosity to Haworth church ; 
who received so much benefit by what they heard, that, 
when the novelty was long over, the church continued to 
be full of people, many of whom came from far, and this 
for twenty years together. 

" For fifteen years, or upward, he used to preach every 
week, fifteen, twenty, and sometimes thirty times, besides 
visiting the sick, and other occasional duties. In sixteen 
years he was only once suspended from his labour by 
sickness; though he dared all weathers upon the bleak 
mountains, and used his body with less compassion than 
a merciful man would use his beast. His soul, at various 
times, enjoyed large manifestations of God's love ; and he 
drank deep into his spirit. His salutary influence was felt 
through an extensive tract of country ; and his memory is 
still affectionately cherished by thousands of people, the 
descendants of those who were saved through his instru- 
mentality. He died, in peace and holy triumph, on the 
7th of April, 1762, in the 55th year of his age, and the 
twenty-first of his eminent usefulness. For some years 
he superintended the circuit in which his parish was in- 
cluded, and most faithfully and affectionately co-operated 



126 



THE CENTENARY OF 



with the Methodist preachers, who were stationed in that 
part of Yorkshire."* 

The next of Mr. Wesley's clerical friends, who was 
called away, was the Rev. George Whitefield, who died 
in America, September 30, 1770, in the midst of his extra- 
ordinary labours and usefulness. He belonged to the 
original society of Methodists in Oxford, and cherished, 
from early life, a permanent affection for the Wesleys, as 
they also did for him. They submitted together to the 
austere discipline which Mr. Law recommended, know- 
ing at that time no other gospel ; but afterward, having 
obtained more just and adequate views of Christianity, 
they all began at the same time to preach the doctrine of 
present salvation from sin by faith in the Lord Jesus. It 
was in compliance with Mr. Whitefield's solicitation, and, 
by the force of his example, that they became field- 
preachers in England. For a season these men of God 
were as " a threefold cord, which is not easily broken," 
labouring together with a perfect oneness of heart and 
mind, till Mr. Whitefield began to preach the tenet of ab- 
solute predestination, when a separation became unavoid- 
able. The Wesleys would have continued in union with 
him, but Mr. Whitefleld's friends would hear of no accom- 
modation with men who "were in so dangerous errors."! 
Having in vain attempted to convince each other, they 
mutually " agreed to differ." From this time Mr. White- 
field pursued an independent course, while the brothers 
remained one in judgment and effort. Yet, on both sides, 
a spirit of sincere respect was cherished. They loved 
each other for the sake of their common Lord ; and 
esteemed each other highly for their work's sake. 

As an author Mr. Whitefield never excelled. His 
writings want depth, originality, and compression. He is 

* Works, vol. iv, pp. 118, 119, Am. edit, 
t Works, vol. v, p. 247, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



127 



diffuse and feeble. But, as a preacher, he was, perhaps, 
never surpassed in the qualities which are adapted to pro- 
duce effect upon mixed multitudes. His voice, his action, 
his pleading importunity were absolutely irresistible ; and 
the deep emotions of the tens of thousands of people who 
hung upon his lips, as he travelled through Great Britain 
and America, attested the power of his eloquence. People 
of every character and grade were affected by the mighty 
unction which attended his ministry. Like the two Wesleys 
he dwelt particularly upon the first principles of revealed 
truth ; insisting continually upon repentance toward God, 
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, as indispensably 
and universally necessary in order to justification, holiness, 
and admission into heaven. The one design of his minis- 
try was to turn men from the world and sin to Christ. Mr. 
Wesley preached the funeral sermon of his friend, and 
bore willing testimony to his holy zeal, perseverance, 
indefatigable labours, and public usefulness. The dif- 
ference of their creeds could not so far influence the minds 
of these great and good men as to induce a denial of each 
other's piety and uprightness. 

Mr. Whitefield's letter to Mr. Wesley, dated Decem- 
ber 3, 1753, and written when Mr. Wesley was supposed 
to be near death, is such an effusion of Christian affection 
as must for ever endear his memory to good men. 

11 Bristol, December 3, 1753. 
" Rev. and Very Dear Sir, — If seeing you so weak 
when leaving London distressed me, the news and pros- 
pect of your approaching dissolution hath quite weighed 
me down. I pity myself and the Church, but not you. A 
radiant throne awaits you ; and ere long you will enter 
into your Master's joy. Yonder he stands, with a massy 
crown, ready to put it on your head, amid the admiring 
throng of saints and angels : but I, poor I, that have been 



128 



THE CENTENARY OF 



waiting for my dissolution these nineteen years, must be 
left behind, to grovel here below ! Well, this is my com- 
fort : it cannot be long ere the chariots will be sent even 
for worthless me. If prayers can detain you, even you, 
reverend and dear sir, shall not leave us yet : but if the 
decree is gone forth, that you must fall asleep in Jesus, 
may he kiss your soul away, and give you to die in the 
embraces of triumphant love ! If in the land of the dying, 
I hope to pay my last respects to you next week. If not, 
reverend and dear sir, f-a-r-e-w-e-1-1 : I prce, sequar^ etsi 
non passibus mquis. My heart is too big, tears trickle 
down too fast, and you, I fear, too weak, for me to en- 
large. Underneath you may there be Christ's everlasting 
arms ! I commend you to his never-failing mercy, and 
am, reverend and very dear sir, 

" Your most affectionate, sympathizing, and 

afflicted younger brother in the gospel 

of our common Lord, 

" G. Whitefield." 

The following is Mr. Wesley's sketch of the character 
of this very eminent man : — " Should we not mention his 
deep gratitude to all whom God had used as instruments 
of good to him 1 — of whom he did not cease to speak in 
the most respectful manner even to his dying day ? Should 
we not mention that lie had a heart susceptible of the most 
generous and the most tender friendship ? I have frequently 
thought that this, of all others, was the distinguishing part of 
his character. How few have we known of so kind a temper, 
of such large and flowing affections ! Was it not principally 
by this that the hearts of others were so strangely drawn and 
knit to him ? Can any thing but love beget love ? This 
shone in his very countenance, and continually breathed 
in all his words, whether in public or private. Was it 
not this which, quick and penetrating as lightning, flew 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



129 



from heart to heart ? which gave that life to his sermons, 
his conversations, his letters ? 

" How suitable to the friendliness of his spirit was the 
frankness and openness of his conversation ! although it 
was as far removed from rudeness on the one hand, as 
from guile on the other. Was not this frankness at once 
a fruit and a proof of his courage and intrepidity ? Armed 
with these, he feared not the faces of men, but used great 
' plainness of speech' to persons of every rank and con- 
dition, high and low, rich and poor ; endeavouring, by 
* manifestation of the truth,' to commend himself to ' every 
man in the sight of God.' 

" Neither was he afraid of labour or pain, any more 
than of ' what man could do unto him ;' being equally 

' Patient in bearing ill, and doing well.' 

And this appeared in the steadiness wherewith he pursued 
whatever he undertook for his Master's sake. Witness 
one instance for all, — the Orphan-house in Georgia ; which 
he began, and perfected, in spite of all discouragements. 
Indeed, in whatever concerned himself he was pliant and 
flexible. In this case he was ' easy to be entreated ;' easy 
to be either convinced or persuaded. But he was im- 
moveable in the things of God, or wherever his conscience 
was concerned. None could persuade, any more than 
affright, him to vary, in the least point, from that integrity 
which was inseparable from his whole character, and re- 
gulated all his words and actions. Herein he did 

1 Stand as an iron pillar strong, 
And steadfast as a wall of brass.' 

" If it be inquired what was the foundation of this in- 
tegrity, or of his sincerity, courage, patience, and every 
other valuable and amiable quality, it is easy to give the 
answer : — It was not the excellence of his natural temper, 
6* 



130 



THE CENTENARY OF 



nor the strength of his understanding ; it was not the force 
of education ; no, nor the advice of his friends. It was 
no other than faith in a bleeding Lord ; faith, the opera- 
tion of God. It was a ? lively hope of an inheritance 
incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.' It was 
the ' love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy 
Ghost which was given unto him,' filling his soul with 
tender, disinterested love to every child of man. From 
this source arose that torrent of eloquence, which fre- 
quently bore down all before it ; from this, that astonish- 
ing force of persuasion which the most hardened sinners 
could not resist. This it was which often made his ' head 
as waters, and his eyes a fountain of tears.' This it was 
which enabled him to pour out his soul in prayer, in a 
manner peculiar to himself, with such fulness and ease 
united together, with such strength and variety both of 
sentiment and expression. 

" What an honour it pleased God to put upon his faith- 
ful servant, by allowing him to declare his everlasting 
gospel in so many various countries, to such numbers of 
people, and with so great an effect on so many of their 
precious souls ! Have we read or heard of any person, 
since the apostles, who testified the gospel of the grace of 
God through so widely extended a space, through so large 
a part of the habitable world ? Have we read or heard 
of any person who called so many thousands, so many 
myriads, of sinners to repentance 1 Above all, have we 
read or heard of any who have been a blessed instrument 
in his hand of bringing so many sinners ' from darkness 
to light, and from the power of Satan unto God V "* 

In the year 1785 Mr. Wesley lost two of the most dear 
and valued of all his earthly friends: the Rev. Vincent 
Perronet, vicar of Shoreham, in Kent ; and the Rev. John 
Fletcher, vicar of Madeley. Soon after he had begun to 

* Works, vol. i, pp. 476, 477, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



131 



preach the doctrine of salvation by faith, his acquaintance 
with Mr. Perronet commenced ; and their friendship was 
most intimate and confidential. It is observable, from 
Mr. Wesley's journal, that, whenever he was in perplexity 
and trouble, he almost invariably visited Shoreham to con- 
sult the venerable vicar of that village ; so that Mr. Charles 
Wesley used to call this holy man " the archbishop of the 
Methodists." Two of his sons became travelling preachers 
in Mr. Wesley's connection. 

"On Saturday, May 7th," says Mr. Wesley, "that 
venerable saint, Mr. Perronet, desired his grand-daughter, 
Miss Briggs, who attended him day and night, to go out 
into the garden and take a little air. Pie was reading, and 
hearing her read, the three last chapters of Isaiah. When 
she returned he was in a kind of ecstasy ; the tears run- 
ning down his cheeks, from a deep sense of the glorious 
things which were shortly to come to pass. He continued 
unspeakably happy that day, and, on Sunday, was, if pos- 
sible, happier still. And, indeed, heaven seemed to be, 
as it were, opened to all that were round about him. When 
he was in bed she went into his room to see if any thing 
was wanting ; and, as she stood at the feet of the bed, he 
smiled, and broke out, ' God bless thee, my dear child, 
and all that belong to thee ! Yea, he will bless thee !' which 
he earnestly repeated many times, till she left the room. 
When she went in the next morning, Monday the 9th, 
his spirit was returned to God ! 

" So ended the holy and happy life of Mr. Vincent Per- 
ronet, in the ninety-second year of his age. I follow 
hard after him in years, being now in the eighty-second 
year of my age. O that I may follow him in holiness ; 
and that my last end may be like his !"* 

Mr. Fletcher was one of the holiest men that ever lived, 
He was a native of Switzerland ; but, having come to 
* Works, vol. iv, p. 614, Am. edit. 



132 



THE CENTENARY OF 



England, he was made a partaker of the Christian salva- 
tion through the instrumentality of the Methodists, and. 
to the last, continued in intimate connection with them. 
He maintained an inviolable attachment to Mr. Wesley, 
whose theological views he defended with consummate 
ability, meekness, and charity, in a long and arduous con- 
troversy, in which his success was unquestionable. Next 
to Mr. Wesley he was the ablest advocate of the Methodist 
tenets ; and no man ever adorned them by a purer life, or 
a more burning, active love. His end fully corresponded 
with his deep and fervent piety. When laid on the bed 
of death he told Mrs. Fletcher that he had received such 
a manifestation of the full meaning of those words, " God 
is love," as he never could be able to tell. " It fills me," 
said he, " every moment. O Polly, my dear Polly, God 
is love ! Shout, shout aloud ! I want a gust of praise to go 
to the ends of the earth!" The servant coming in, he 
cried out, " O Sally, God is love ! Shout, both of you. I 
want to hear you shout his praise !" 

He had always delighted much in these lines, — 

" Jesus' blood, through earth and skies, 
Mercy, free boundless mercy ! cries ;" 

and, whenever Mrs. Fletcher repeated them, he would 
answer, " Boundless, boundless, boundless !" and, when 
articulation had become extremely difficult, he exclaimed, 

"Mercy's full potver I soon shall prove, 
Loved vith an everlasting love !" 

" I was intimately acquainted with him," says Mr. Wes- 
ley, " for above thirty years ; I conversed with him morn- 
ing, noon, and night, without the least reserve, during a 
journey of many hundi id miles ; and, in all that time, I 
never heard him speak one improper word, nor saw him 
do an improper action. Many exemplary men have I 
known, holy in heart and life, within fourscore years, but 



XVESLEYAN METHODISM. 



133 



one equal to him I have not known, — one so inwardly and 
outwardly devoted to God. So unblameable a character 
in every respect I have not found either in Europe or 
America ; and I scarce expect to find another such on this 
side of eternity."* 

The following inscription, written by the late Rev. 
Richard Watson, in memory of this great and holy man, 
is placed upon a marble tablet in the Wesleyan chapel, 
City-road, London : — 

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF 

THE REV. JOHN WILLIAM DE LA FLECHERE, 

VICAR OF MADELEY, IN SHROPSHIRE I 
BORN AT NYON, IN SWITZERLAND, THE XII OF 
SEPTEMBER, A. D. MDCCXXIX, 
DIED THE XIV OF AUGUST, MDCCLXXXV. 

A man eminent for genius, eloquence, and theological learning; 
Still more distinguished for sanctity of manners, and the 
virtues of primitive Christianity. 
Adorned with "whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things 
are lovely," 

And bringing forth "the fruits of the Spirit" in singular 
richness and maturity, 
The measure of every other grace in him was exceeded by his 
deep and unaffected humility. 
Of enlarged views as to the merits of the atonement, 
And of those gracious rights with which it invests 
all who believe, 
Pie had " boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood 
of Jesus," 

And, in reverent and transporting contemplations, the habit 
of his devout and hallowed spirit, 
There dwelt as beneath the wings of the cherubim, 
Beholding " the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ," 
and was " changed into the same image 



* Works, vol. i, p. 533, Am. edit. 



134 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Teaching, by his own attainments, more than even by his 
writings, the fulness of evangelical promises, 
And with what intimacy of communion man may walk with 
God. 

He was the Friend and Coadjutor of the Rev. John Wesley, 
Whose Apostolic views of the doctrines of General Redemption, 
Justification by Faith, 
And Christian perfection, he successfully defended, 
Leaving to future ages an able exposition of " the truth which is 
according to Godliness," 
And erecting an impregnable rampart against Pharisaic 
and Antinomian error, 
In a series of works, distinguished by the beauty of their style, 
by force of argument, 
And by a gentle and catholic spirit ; affording an edifying example 
of " speaking the truth in love," 
In a long and ardent controversy. 
For twenty-five years the parish of Madeley was the scene of his 
unexampled pastoral labours, 
And he was there interred amidst the tears and 
lamentations of thousands, 
The testimony of their hearts to his exalted piety, and to his 
unwearied exertions for their salvation ; 
But his memory triumphed over death, 
And his saintly example exerts increasing influence in the 
Churches of Christ, 
Through the study of his Writings and the publication of his 
Biography. . 

In token of their veneration for his Character, 
And in gratitude for the services rendered by him to the 
cause of Truth, 

This Monument was erected by the Trustees of this Chapel, 

A. D. MDCCCXXTI. 

Mr. Fletcher wrote with great ability and effect in de- 
fence of the administration during the American war; and 
when Lord North inquired of him what could be done for 
him as an acknowledgment of his services, Mr. Fletcher 
signified, that the only thing he wanted was that which 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



135 



his lordship could not give, — " more grace." It would be 
a matter of curiosity to know how many such answers 
have been returned in cases of the same kind. 

Three years after the death of Mr. Fletcher, Mr. John 
Wesley sustained the loss of his brother Charles, to whom 
he had been united through life by a strong and tender 
affection. They began their religious career together at 
Oxford ; they endured the same hardships and reproach 
in Georgia ; they obtained the Christian salvation, through 
faith in the Lord Jesus, within three days of each other, 
in the year 1738; they had both travelled through Eng- 
land and Ireland, calling sinners to repentance in the open 
air, and meekly enduring every form of calumny and dan- 
ger ; and they had imbodied the same evangelical doc- 
trines in various imperishable publications, — John in ster- 
ling prose, and Charles in equally sterling verse. 

On one point their views were different. Charles, it 
would seem, adhered to the opinion of the divine appoint- 
ment of diocesan episcopacy. John was early convinced 
that, according to the New Testament, bishops and pres- 
byters are of the same order, and have therefore the same 
right to ordain men to the holy ministry. A bishop, in 
John's view, was only the first among equals ; Charles 
regarded a bishop as belonging to a higher and distinct 
order, which Christ, intended to remain in his Church till 
the end of time. No appointment of men by presbyters 
to the sacred office would he acknowledge as valid ; and 
hence he disapproved of his brother's ordinations. John 
believed that he was as truly a Scriptural bishop as any 
man in Europe ; and, as the necessities of the spiritual 
children whom God had given him urgently called for 
such a proceeding, he appointed men not only to preach 
the word of God, but to administer the Christian sacra- 
ments. The manner in which the brothers concluded 
their friendly dispute on the subject is worthy of perma- 



136 



THE CENTENARY OF 



nent record : — " I walk still," says John to Charles, " by 
the same rule I have done for between forty and fifty 
years. I do nothing rashly. It is not likely I should. 
The hey-day of my blood is over. If you will go hand in 
hand Avith me, do. But do not hinder me, if you will not 
help. Perhaps if you had kept close to me I might have 
done better. However, with or without help, I creep on. 
And as I have been hitherto, so I trust I shall always be, 
" Your affectionate friend and brother, 

" John Wesley." 

To this Charles responded : — "I thank you for your 
intention to remain my friend. Herein my heart is as 
your heart. Whom God hath joined let not man put asun- 
der. We have taken each other for better for worse, till 
death us do — part ! no : but eternally unite. Therefore, 
in the love that never faileth, 

" I am your affectionate friend and brother, 

" C. Wesley." 

Dr. Whitehead says, that " Mr. Charles Wesley had a 
weak body and a poor state of health, during the greatest 
part of his life. I believe he laid the foundation of both 
at Oxford, by too close application to study and abstinence 
from food. He rode much on horseback, which probably 
contributed to lengthen out life to a good old age. I visited 
him several times in his last sickness ; and his body was 
indeed reduced to the most extreme state of weakness. 
He possessed that state of mind which he had always been 
most pleased to see in others, — unaffected humility, and 
holy resignation to the will of God. He had no transports 
of joy, but solid hope and unshaken confidence in Christ, 
which kept his mind in perfect peace." 

From the time of his conversion he had been accus- 
tomed to think in verse ; and the habit remained with him 
till his spirit returned to God. A few days before his 



VVESLEYAN METHODISM. 137 

death, having been silent for some time, he called Mrs, 
Wesley to him, and requested her to write at his dictation ; 
when he feebly articulated the following lines : — 

" In age and feebleness extreme, 
Who shall a sinful worm redeem ? 
Jesus, my only hope thou art, 
Strength of my failing flesh and heart ; 
O could I catch a smile from thee, 
And drop into eternity !" 

He died on the 29th of March, 1788, aged seventy-nine 
years, and, at his own desire, was buried in Marybone 
church-yard. The pall was supported by eight clergy- 
men. On his tombstone are the following lines, written 
by himself on the death of one of his friends : — 

u With poverty of spirit bless'd, 
Rest, happy saint, in Jesus rest ; 
A sinner saved, through grace forgiven, 
Redeem'd from earth, to reign in heaven! 
Thy labours of unwearied love, 
By thee forgot, are crown'd above ; 
Crown'd through the mercy of thy Lord, 
With a free, full, immense reward I" 

The following epitaph is inscribed upon a marble tablet 
in the City-road chapel. The sentence which is placed 
at the head of it he is said to have frequently uttered : — 

" God buries his workmen, but carries on his work." 

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF 

THE REV. CHARLES WESLEY, M. A. 

EDUCATED AT WESTMINSTER SCHOOL, 
AND SOME TIME STUDENT AT CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD. 

As a Preacher, 
He was eminent for ability, zeal, and usefulness, 
being learned without pride, 
and pious without ostentation ; 
to the sincere, diffident Christian, 
A Son of Consolation ; 



138 



THE CENTENARY OF 



but to the vain boaster, the hypocrite, and the profane, 
A Son of Thunder. 

He was the first who received the name of 
Methodist ; 

and, uniting with his brother, the Rev. John Wesley, 
in the plan of Itinerant Preaching, 
endured hardship, persecution, and disgrace, 
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ ; 
contributing largely, by the usefulness of his labours, 
to the first formation of the Methodist Societies 
in these Kingdoms. 

As a Christian Poet, he stood unrivalled ; 
and his Hymns will convey instruction and consolation 
to the faithful in Christ Jesus, 
As long as the English language shall be understood. 
He was born the xvni of December, mdccviii, 
and died the xxix of March, mdcclxxxviii, 
a firm and pious Believer in the Doctrines of the Gospel, 
and a sincere Friend to the Church of England. 

Dr. Whitehead, who wrote the Life of Mr. Charles Wes- 
ley, inflicted a deep injury upon his character and memory. 
Writing for party objects, he represented him as a model 
of Methodistical perfection, and John as often weak and 
erring. This attempt to exalt Charles at the expense of 
his brother not only failed, but so offended many persons 
as to induce them to withhold from him the admiration 
which is justly his due. He could not have written the 
sermons, appeals, and controversial tracts which bear the 
name of John, nor could he have organized the societies, 
and then preserved them and the preachers in Christian 
order for half a century ; but, for many years, his ministry 
was signally powerful and efficient ; and his hymns are 
a richer bequest to the Christian church in Great Britain 
and America than language can express. In this respect 
never was man more honoured of God. How often the 
Holy Spirit will make these sacred compositions a means 
of quickening the devotions of individual believers, and of 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



139 



worshipping assemblies, will be known only in the day 
of the Lord. 

By some persons Mr. Charles Wesley has been con- 
sidered as a high and intolerant Churchman ; but this view 
of his character is far from correct. That his attachment 
to the Church of England was sincere and ardent, will 
not be denied ; nor that he was exceedingly anxious to 
prevent the Methodists from becoming a distinct body ; 
but, as a clergyman, he was irregular through life. After 
his return from Georgia he was never under direct epis- 
copal control ; and he seldom preached and administered 
the sacraments but in places which no bishop had either 
consecrated or licensed. On the subject of church abuses 
and clerical delinquencies he expressed himself in language 
of much greater severity than John ever used. 

As a man he possessed a truly noble and generous 
spirit. In his friendships he was cordial, firm, and affec- 
tionate ; and was greatly beloved and admired by those 
who were intimate with him. The following hymn which 
he appended to the first edition of his brother's sermon on 
the " Catholic Spirit," shows him to have been " a lover 
of good men" in general, without distinction of sect : — 

"CATHOLIC LOVE. 

Weary of all this wordy strife, 

These notions, forms, and modes, and names, 
To thee, the Way, the Truth, the Life, 

Whose love my simple heart inflames, 
Divinely taught, at last I fly, 
With thee and thine to live and die. 

Forth from the midst of Babel brought, 

Parties and sects I cast behind, 
Enlarged my heart, and free my thought, 

Where'er the latent truth I find, 
The latent truth with joy to own, 
And bow to Jesus' name alone. 



HO 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Redeem'd by thine almighty grace, 

I taste my glorious liberty, 
With open arms the world embrace, 

And cleave to those who cleave to thee ; 
But only in thy saints delight, 
Who walk with God in purest white. 

One with the little flock I rest, 

The members sound who hold the Head ; 

The chosen few with pardon blest, 
And by th' anointing Spirit led 

Into the mind that was in thee, 

Into the depths of Deity. 

My brethren, friends, and kinsmen, these, 

Who do my heavenly Father's will ; 
Who aim at perfect holiness, 

And all thy counsels to fulfil ; 
Athirst to be whate'er thou art, 
And love their God with all their heart. 

From these, howe'er in flesh disjoin'd, 
Where'er dispersed o'er earth abroad, 

Unfeign'd, unbounded love I find, 
And constant as the life of God ; 

Fountain of life, from thence it sprung, 

As pure, as even, and as strong. 

Join'd to the hidden church unknown, 

In this sure bond of perfectness, 
Obscurely safe I dwell alone, 

And glory in th' uniting grace, 
To me, to each believer given, 
To all thy saints in earth and heaven. 

C. W." 

In the obituary of the preachers, and in answer to the 
question, " Who have died this year ?" his brother says, 
" Mr. Charles Wesley, who, after spending fourscore years 
with much sorrow and pain, quietly retired to Abraham's 
bosom. He had no disease ; but, after a gradual decay 
of some months. 



• The weary wheels of life stood still at last.' 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



141 



" His least praise was his talent for poetry ; although 
Dr. Watts did not scruple to say that, ' that single poem, 
Wrestling Jacob, was worth all the verses he himself had 
written.' "* 

The time now drew near when Mr. John Wesley him- 
self must also die. To the last he pursued his plans of 
usefulness with the same diligence and constancy which 
had marked his course from the beginning ; and his holy 
gratitude and cheerfulness remained unabated. A few 
years before his death he published a sermon on God's 
vineyard, in which he shows that many persons who 
ought to have profited by the Methodist doctrine and dis- 
cipline had been criminally inattentive to their duty and 
spiritual interest ; and hence some writers have assumed 
that he acknowledged his labours to have been a failure. 
Never was conclusion more illogical, or more at variance 
with fact. Because several people, who had been placed 
within the influence of his ministry and that of his pious 
coadjutors, remained in impenitence and unbelief, and 
some others ran into extravagance and folly, did Mr. Wes- 
ley make no account of the tens of thousands of holy and 
happy Christians, his spiritual children, scattered through 
the three kingdoms, as well as over the American conti- 
nent 1 Impossible ! As well might it be said that Chris- 
tianity was a failure ; and that St. Paul made no account 
of his labours, either in Corinth or in any other place, be- 
cause many of the people remained in pagan ignorance 
and guilt, and some of those who assumed the Christian 
profession dishonoured it by their irregularities of conduct. 
In March, 1785, he thus speaks of the revival of religion 
in which he had acted so very prominent a part : — 

" I was now considering how strangely the grain of 
mustard-seed, planted about fifty years ago, has grown up. 



* Minutes of Conference, vol. i, p. 201. 



142 



THE CENTENARY OF 



It has spread through, all Great Britain and Ireland, the 
Isle of Wight, and the Isle of Man ; then to America, from 
the Leeward Islands, through the whole continent, into 
Canada and Newfoundland. And the societies in all these 
parts walk by one rule, knowing that religion is holy tem- 
pers ; and, striving to worship God, not in form only, but 
in spirit and in truth."* 

The following verses, which he inserted in the Hymn- 
book for general use about eleven years before his death, 
very correctly express the predominant feeling of his heart 
at this period of his life : — 

" the goodness of God, Employing a clod 
His tribute of glory to raise ! 
His standard to bear, And with triumph declare 
His unspeakable riches of grace ! 

O the fathomless love, That has deign'd to approve 

And prosper the work of my hands ! 
With my pastoral crook I went over the brook, 

And behold I am spread into bands. 

Who, I ask in amaze, Hath begotten me these ? 

And inquire from what quarter they came ? 
My full heart it replies, They are born from the skies, 

And gives glory to God and the Lamb. 

All honour and praise To the Father of grace, 

To the Spirit and Son I return, 
The business pursue, He hath given me to do, 

And rejoice that I ever was born. 

In a rapture of joy My life I employ, 

The God of my life to proclaim ; 
'Tis worth living for this, To administer bliss, 

And salvation in Jesus's name. 

My remnant of days I spend in his praise, 

Who died the whole world to redeem ; 
Be they many or few, My days are his due, 

And they all are devoted to him." 

* Works, vol. iv, p. 609, Am. edit. 



i 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



143 



At this period the highest respect was paid to him by 
almost all classes of people. The churches in London 
were generally closed against him in the year 1738 ; and 
now he had more applications to preach in those very 
churches, for the benefit of public charities, than he could 
possibly comply with. His visits to many places in the 
country created a sort of general festival. The people 
crowded around him as he passed along the streets ; the 
windows were filled with eager gazers ; and the children 
waited " to catch the good man's smile," which the over- 
flowing benignity of his heart rendered him ever willing 
to bestow. When he first went into Cornwall, accompa- 
nied by John Nelson, he plucked blackberries from the 
hedges to allay the cravings of hunger ; and slept upon 
boards, having his saddle-bags for a pillow, till the bones 
cut through his skin. Now he was received, in that 
county especially, as an angel of God. On the 17th of 
August, 1789, on visiting Falmouth, he says, " The last 
time I was here, above forty years ago, I was taken 
prisoner by an immense mob, gaping and roaring like 
lions. But how is the tide turned ! High and low now 
lined the street from one end of the town to the other, out 
of stark love, gaping and staring as if the king were going 
by."* 

January 1st, 1790, he says, " I am an old man, decayed 
from head to foot. My eyes are dim ; my right hand 
shakes much ; my mouth is hot and dry every morning ; 
I have a lingering fever almost every day ; my motion is 
weak and slow. However, blessed be God, I do not slack 
my labour. I can preach and write still."f 

Thus he was found when the great Master called. He 
continued in his work till the latter end of February, 1791, 
when his strength entirely failed ; and, after languishing 



t Works, vol. iv, p. 278, Am. edit. 



t Ibid. vol. iv, p. 735. 



144 



THE CENTENARY OF 



a few days, during the whole of which he presented a 
most edifying example of holy cheerfulness and resigna- 
tion, he died on the 2d of March, in great peace. When 
the hand of death was upon him, he oftener than once 
repeated, and that with solemn emphasis, the lines, 

" I the chief of sinners am, 
But Jesus died for me." 

And, as the result of that faith in the Lord Jesus, of which 
these words were the significant expression, he again and 
again exclaimed, The best of all is, God is with us ! 

A few more of his dying sayings must be acceptable to 
the serious reader. Three days before he died, referring 
to an illness which he had in Bristol, in the year 1783, 
he says, " My words then were, 

* I the chief of sinners am, 
But Jesus died for me.' " 

One said, " Is this the present language of your heart ? 
and do you feel as you then did ?." He replied, " Yes." 
When the same person repeated, — 

" Bold I approach th' eternal throne, 
And claim the crown through Christ my own ;" 

and then added, " it is enough : He, our precious Imman- 
uel, has purchased, has promised all ;" he earnestly re- 
plied, " He is all ! He is all !" 

In the evening of the same day, while sitting in his 
chair, he said, " How necessary it is for every one to be 
on the right foundation ! 

* I the chief of sinners am, 
But Jesus died for me !' 

We must be justified by faith ; and then go on to per- 
fection." 

On the next day he said, " There is no way into the 
holiest but by the blood of Jesus ;" and, referring to the 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



145 



text, " Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, 
though he was rich, yet, for your sakes, he became poor, 
that ye, through his poverty, might be rich," he emphati- 
cally said, " That is the foundation, the only foundation, 
and there is no other." He also repeated, three or four 
times, in the space of a few hours, " We have boldness to 
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." 

On the day before his death, after a very restless night, 
he began to sing, — 

" All glory to God in the sky, 

And peace upon earth be restored ; 
O Jesus, exalted on high, 

Appear our omnipotent Lord ! 
Who, meanly in Bethlehem born, 

Didst stoop to redeem a lost race, 
Once more to thy creatures return, 

And reign in thy kingdom of grace. 

O wouldst thou again be made known, 

Again in thy Spirit descend, 
And set up in each of thine own 

A kingdom that never shall end ! 
Thou only art able to bless, 

And make the glad nations obey, 
And bid the dire enmity cease, 

And bow the whole world to thy sway." 

.Here his strength failed; but, after lying still awhile, 
he called for pen and ink. They were brought to him ; 
but his hand, which had been a means of conveying com- 
fort and instruction to thousands, could no longer perform 
its office. " Tell me," said one, " what you would say." 
" Nothing," answered he, " but that God is with us" In 
a little while he broke out in a manner which, consider- 
ing his extreme weakness, astonished all present, in these 
words, — 

"I'll praise my Maker while I've breath, 
And, when my voice is lost in death, 
7 



146 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Praise shall employ my nobler powers : 
My days of praise shall ne'er be past 
While life, and thought, and being last, 

Or immortality endures. 

Happy the man whose hopes rely 
On Israel's God ; he made the sky, 

And earth, and seas, with all their train ; 
His truth for ever stands secure ; 
He saves th' oppress'd, he feeds the poor, 

And none shall find his promise vain." 

During the same day, when he appeared to change for 
death, he said, with a weak voice, " Lord, thou givest 
strength to those that can speak, and to those that cannot. 
Speak, Lord, to all our hearts, and let them know that thou 
loosest the tongue." He then sung, — 

" To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 
Who sweetly all agree ;" 

when his voice again failed. 

Several friends being in the house, they were called 
into his room, and all kneeled down to prayer ; when his 
fervour of spirit was manifest to all present. In particular 
parts of the prayer his whole soul was engaged in such a 
manner as evidently showed how ardently he longed for 
the accomplishment of their united desires. When Mr. 
Broadbent prayed that if God were about to take away 
their father to his eternal rest, he would continue and in- 
crease his blessing upon the doctrine and discipline which 
he had long made his aged servant a means of propagating 
and establishing in the world, an unusual degree of ear- 
nestness accompanied the loud amen of the dying patri- 
arch and saint. When they rose from their knees he took 
hold of their hands, kindly saluted them, and said, " Fare- 
well, farewell !" 

Some time after he strove to speak ; but finding that the 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



147 



friends who were present could not understand him, he 
paused a little, and then with all his remaining strength, 
cried out, The best of all is, God is with us. Lifting up 
his dying arm in token of victory, and raising his feeble 
voice in a holy triumph not to be expressed, he again re- 
peated, The best of all is, God is with us. 

When his parched lips were wetted, he devoutly re- 
peated his usual thanksgiving after meat : " We thank thee, 
O Lord, for these and all thy mercies. Bless the church 
and king ; and grant us truth and peace, through Jesus 
Christ our Lord, for ever and ever." 

In the course of the same day, at different times, he 
said, " He causeth his servants to lie down in peace." 
" The clouds drop fatness." " The Lord is with us, the 
God of Jacob is our refuge." 

" I'll praise, I'll praise." 

The next morning the closing scene drew near. Joseph 
Bradford, his faithful and well-tried friend, prayed with 
him, and the last word he was heard to utter was, " Fare- 
well." While several of his friends were kneeling around 
his bed, without a groan, this man of God, this beloved 
pastor of thousands, entered into the joy of his Lord. 

His will contains the following characteristic item : 
" I give six pounds to be divided among the six poor men 
who shall carry my body to the grave ; for I particularly 
desire there may be no hearse, no coach, no escutcheon, 
no pomp, except the tears of them that loved me, and are 
following me to Abraham's bosom. I solemnly adjure my 
executors, in the name of God, punctually to observe this." 

Few men have been more honoured in their death than 
this venerable servant of the Lord. On the day preceding 
his interment, his remains were, according to his own di- 
rection, placed in the chapel near his dwelling-house in 
London ; and the crowds that went to see them were so 



148 



THE CENTENARY OF 



great, that business was generally suspended in the City- 
road, and it was with great difficulty that any carriage 
could pass. His funeral took place early in the morning, 
lest any accident should occur, in consequence of the vast 
concourse of people which was otherwise expected to 
attend. When the officiating clergyman, at the grave-side, 
pronounced the words, "Forasmuch as it hath pleased 
Almighty God to take unto himself the soul of our dear 
father here departed," the people, who nearly filled the 
burying-ground, burst into loud weeping; and it is be- 
lieved that scarcely a dry eye was to be seen in the en- 
tire assembly. When the funeral sermon was preached, 
the men occupied the floor of the City-road chapel, and 
the women the gallery ; and, with one solitary exception, 
it is said, that not a coloured riband was to be seen in the 
vast congregation. One lady, with a blue riband on her 
beaver hat, found her way into the gallery ; and, on ob- 
serving her singularity, she instantly tore it from her head, 
and thus assumed the garb of mourning with the rest of 
the people. 

The following is the inscription upon Mr. Wesley's 
tomb : — 

TO THE MEMORY OF 

THE VENERABLE JOHN WESLEY, A. M., 

LATE FELLOW OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, 
OXFORD. 

This great Light arose, 
by the singular providence of God, 

to enlighten these Nations, 
and to revive, enforce, and defend 
the pure apostolical doctrines and practices of the 
Primitive Church: 
which he continued to do, both by his writings and his labours, 
for more than half a Century : 
and, to his inexpressible joy, 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



149 



not only beheld their influence extending, 

and their efficacy witnessed, 
in the hearts and lives of many thousands, 
as well in the Western World as in these Kingdoms ; 
but also, far above all human power or expectation, 
lived to see provision made, 
by the singular grace of God, 
for their continuance and establishment, 
to the joy of future generations ! 

Reader, if thou art constrained to bless the instrument, 
give God the glory ! 

After having languished a few days, he at length finished hia 
course 
and his life together ; 
gloriously triumphing over death, 
March 2d, An. Dom. 1791, 
in the eighty-eighth year of his age. 

The following epitaph is inscribed upon a marble tablet 
the City-road chapel : — 

" The best of all is, God is with us." 

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF 

THE REV. JOHN WESLEY, M. A., 

SOME TIME FELLOW OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, 
OXFORD. 

A man in learning and sincere piety, 
scarcely inferior to any : 
In zeal, ministerial labours, and extensive usefulness, 
superior, perhaps, to all men, since the days of St. Paul. 
Regardless of fatigue, personal danger, and disgrace, 
he went out into the highways and hedges, 
calling sinners to repentance, 
and publishing the Gospel of Peace. 

He was the Founder of the Methodist Societies, 
and the chief Promoter and Patron 
of the plan of Itinerant Preaching, 
which he extended through Great Britain and Ireland, 



THE CENTENARY OF 



the West Indies, and America, with unexampled success 
He was born the xvn of June, mdcciii, 

and died the n of March, mdccxci, 
in sure and certain hope of eternal life, 
through the Atonement and Mediation of 
a Crucified Saviour. 
He was sixty-five years in the Ministry, 
and fifty-two an Itinerant Preacher ; 
He lived to see, in these kingdoms only, 
about three hundred Itinerant, 
and one thousand Local Preachers, 
raised up from the midst of his own people, 
and eighty thousand persons in the societies under his care. 
His name will be ever had in grateful remembrance 
by all who rejoice in the universal spread 
of the Gospel of Christ. 

SOLI DEO GLORIA. 

Fully to exhibit the character of this man of God would 
require an ample volume. His attainments as a scholar, 
had he possessed no other distinction, would alone have 
entitled him to high respect. He was a critic in the 
Greek language ; and he both spoke and wrote Latin with 
remarkable fluency and correctness to the end of his life. 
At the University he studied Hebrew and Arabic. In 
Georgia he conducted public worship both in French and 
Italian ; and he offered to render the same service in their 
own tongue, to a regiment of Germans at Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne, during the rebellion of 1745. His skill in logic 
was proverbial, and must strike every one who reads either 
his practical or his controversial works. They present 
finer examples, illustrative of the principles of this most 
useful art, than those of almost any other of our English 
authors. His correct and elegant literary taste, his 
readiness of apprehension, his ability to comprehend and 
simplify the most abstruse and complex subjects, are man- 
ifest in the whole of his voluminous writings. There are 
many passages in his works which, for depth and justness 



WESLEYAN METHODISM 



151 



of conception, and strength and beauty of expression, 
would not suffer from a comparison with the most admired 
selections that the English language can furnish. 

He was truly a lover of mankind. Some of the nobility 
and gentry honoured him with their friendship ; and he 
availed himself of the opportunity thus afforded for re- 
minding them of the temptations and dangers of wealth, 
and the responsibility which it involves, as well as of the 
substantial good which is to be found in the possession of 
deep personal godliness. An affectionate and admonitory 
letter, addressed to Sir James Lowther, and dated October 
28, 1754, is an admirable example of this. Among 
other things, he says to the wealthy and honourable baro- 
net, " You are on the borders of the grave, as well as I. 
Shortly we must both appear before God. When it 
seemed to me, some months since, that my life was near 
an end, I was troubled that I had not dealt plainly with 
you. This you will allow me to do now, without any re- 
serve, in the fear and in the presence of God. I reverence 
you for your office as a magistrate. I believe you to be 
an honest, upright man ; I love you for having protected 
an innocent people from their cruel and lawless oppressors : 
but so much the more am I obliged to say, (though I judge 
not, God is the judge,) I fear you are covetous ; that you 
love the world : and if you do, as sure as the word of 
God is true, you are not in a state of salvation. 

" I must once more earnestly entreat you to consider 
yourself, and God, and eternity. As to yourself, you are 
not the proprietor of any thing, no, not of one shilling in 
the world. You are only a steward of what another in- 
trusts you with, to be laid out, not according to your will, 
but his. And what would you think of your steward, if 
he laid out what is called your money according to his 
own will and pleasure 1 Is not God the sole proprietor of 



152 



THE CENTENARY OF 



all things ? And are not you to give an account to him for 
every part of his goods ? And O, how dreadful an account, 
if you have expended any part of them, not according to 
his will, but your own ? Is not death at hand ? And are 
not you and I just stepping into eternity ! Are we not 
just going to appear in the presence of God, and that 
naked of all worldly goods 1 Will you then rejoice in the 
money you have left behind you ? Or in that you have 
given to support a family, as it is called ? that is, in truth, 
to support the pride, and vanity, and luxury which you 
have yourself despised all your life long ? 0,sir, I beseech 
you, for the sake of God, for the sake of your own immor- 
tal soul, examine yourself, whether you do not love 
money! If so, you cannot love God. And if we die 
without the fear of God, what remains ? Only to be ban- 
ished from him for ever and ever !"* 

The privations of the poor excited his tenderest sym- 
pathy, and he put forth every effort to relieve them. At 
the beginning of winter, it was his practice, in London, to 
raise a fund for the purpose of meeting the wants of the 
necessitous. This he did by going from door to door 
among the rich and liberal to whom he could gain access ; 
and in the distribution of food and clothing among the 
pious who were in want he felt a greater satisfaction than 
" victors in a triumph know." Almost daily was he found 
by the beds of the afflicted ; and his charity was only 
limited by his income. To God and the poor he gave all 
that he possessed. The following affecting record, written 
with a tremulous hand, only a few months before his de- 
cease, closes his book of private accounts : — 

" N. B. For upward of eighty-six years I have kept my 
accounts exactly. I will not attempt it any longer, being 

* Works, vol. iii. pp. 572, 573, Am. edit. 



\ 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



153 



satisfied with the continual conviction, that I save all I 
can, and give all I can ; that is, all I have. 

"July 16, 1790. John Wesley." 

For nothing was ho more remarkable than his love to 
children. Often did he lay his hands upon them, and 
bless them in the name of his great Master. He was in 
the habit of selecting small silver coins of peculiar fresh- 
ness, and of presenting them to the children of his friends, 
as memorials of his affection. 

In the improvement of time he was, perhaps, never ex- 
ceeded. Through the greater part of his life he rose at 
four o'clock in the morning ; and every moment of his 
waking hours was devoted to some useful object. Ad- 
mirably did he exemplify his own rule, intended for the 
guidance of his preachers : — " Never be unemployed ; 
never be trifhngly employed ; never while away time." 
" If any one," says he, " desires to know exactly what 
quantity of sleep his own constitution requires, he may 
very easily make the experiment which I made about 
sixty years ago. I then waked every night, about twelve 
or one, and lay awake for some time. I readily concluded 
that this arose from my lying longer in bed than nature 
required. To be satisfied, I procured an alarum, which 
waked me the next morning at seven ; (near an hour 
earlier than I rose the day before ;) yet I lay awake again 
at night. The second morning I rose at six ; but, not- 
withstanding this, I lay awake the second night. The 
third morning I rose at five ; but, nevertheless, I lay awake 
the third night. The fourth morning I rose at four ; (as, 
by the grace of God, I have done ever since ;) and I lay 
awake no more."* 

His knowledge was comprehensive, and his conversa- 
tional powers of a high order. Dr. Samuel Johnson, 



* Works, vol. ii, p. 295, Am. edit. 
7* 



154 



THE CENTENARY OF 



an unexceptionable judge, who knewhim intimately, said, 
" He talks well on every subject." Hence the following 
lines of Cowper : — 

" O, I have seen (nor hope perhaps in vain, 
Ere life go down, to see such sights again") 
A veteran warrior in the Christian field, 
Who never saw the sword he could not wield, 
Grave without dulness, learned without pride, 
Exact, but not precise, though meek, keen-eyed : 
A man that could have foil'd, at their own play, 
A dozen would-bes of the modern day : 
Who, when occasion justified its use, 
Had wit as bright as ready to produce ; 
Could fetch from records of an earlier age, 
Or from philosophy's enlighten'd page, 
His rich materials, and regale your ear 
With strains it was a privilege to hear. 
Yet, above all, his luxury supreme, 
And his chief glory, was the gospel theme : 
There he was copious as old Greece or Rome ; 
His happy eloquence seem'd there at home ; 
Ambitious, not to shine, or to excel, 
But to treat justly what he loved so well." 

The power which he possessed over the preachers and 
the societies was often a subject of remark during his life, 
and it has created surprise since his death. It was a 
power which he never sought, and which he never abused. 
He received it as involving great responsibility, and made 
it his constant business to use it for the advancement of 
the work of God. The government which he exercised 
was truly paternal ; and both the preachers and societies 
felt it to be a blessing. His was no crooked and sinuous 
policy, but a straightforward, upright, and Christian course, 
without selfishness, and without guile. 

But it is with reference to that revival of religion, of 
which he was the chief instrument, that his character will 
ever be principally considered. He deviated from the 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



155 



order of the church to which he belonged ; but only so 
far as he believed himself providentially called, and in 
those things where he felt that, in his case, the opposite 
conduct would be a sin. He saw impiety and wickedness 
everywhere prevalent ; and he lifted up his warning voice, 
calling the people to repentance, that so iniquity might 
not be their ruin. He learned from his own experience, 
as well as from the Bible, that peace of conscience and 
purity of heart are attainable only through faith in Jesus 
Christ ; and he proclaimed a full and present salvation to 
all who would thus accept it as the free gift of God. The 
consequence was, that awakened multitudes asked his 
spiritual advice, and begged of him to take them under his 
pastoral care. Hence the formation of societies. Then 
among those very people, men who had never received a 
formal appointment to the Christian ministry began to 
preach to others the truth which they had themselves re- 
ceived. These he attempted to prevent ; but finding that 
they possessed the requisite piety, knowledge, and talents 
for the work which they had undertaken, and that they 
were so far sanctioned by the divine blessing as that sin- 
ners were, by their means, reclaimed and converted, he 
was compelled to submit ; being very much in the situation 
of St. Peter, when, in justification of his own proceedings 
with respect to Cornelius, he emphatically said, ;t What 
was I, that I could withstand God ?" 

Thus led into a course of usefulness which he had never 
contemplated, and to which, in the first instance, he had a 
strong aversion, he devoted his life to the one object of 
spreading true religion in the world. The things which 
he attempted to advance were not the mere forms and 
circumstantials of Christianity, much less matters of doubt- 
ful disputation ; but solid virtue ; the love of God, and of 
all mankind ; happiness in God, and entire conformity to 
his will. For these great purposes he preached, and wrote, 



156 



THE CENTENARY OF 



and travelled, and sustained the charge of the numerous 
societies and preachers ; adjusting their differences, solv- 
ing their doubts, and directing their movements. From 
these all-absorbing enterprises of truth and charity nothing 
could draw him aside. Neither the caresses of friends, 
nor the occasional perverseness of individuals among his 
own people, nor the opposition of furious mobs, nor the 
incessant and bitter peltings of the press, could induce him 
to falter in his career, or suspend his labours for a single 
day. Weaknesses and infirmities he had, for he was a 
fallen man ; but who among his detractors emulate his 
active zeal, and patient, laborious love ? His spiritual 
children will ever bless God for raising up such an instru- 
ment of good, especially in an age of infidelity, lukewarm- 
ness, and irreligion ; for crowning his efforts and plans 
with such unexampled success ; and for supporting him 
under cares and discouragements which feeble human na- 
ture could never of itself have sustained. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE PROGRESS OF RELIGION AFTER MR. WESLEY'S DEATH. 

To prevent any abuse of the " Deed of Declaration," 
and secure the perpetuity of his plans of usefulness when 
he should be no more, Mr. Wesley left the following letter 
to be read by the conference, at its first assembling after 
his death : — 

" TO THE METHODIST CONFERENCE. 

" Chester, April 7, 1785. 

" My Dear Brethren, — Some of our travelling preach- 
ers have expressed a fear, that, after my decease, you 
would exclude them either from preaching in connection 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



157 



with you, or from some other privilege which they now 
enjoy. I know no other way to prevent any such incon- 
venience than to leave these, my last, words, with you. 

" I beseech you, by the mercies of God, that you never 
avail yourselves of the ' Deed of Declaration,' to assume 
any superiority over your brethren : but let all things go 
on, among those itinerants who choose to remain together, 
exactly in the same manner as when I was with you, so 
far as circumstances will permit. 

" In particular, I beseech you, if you ever loved me, 
and if you now love God and your brethren, to have no 
respect of persons, in stationing the preachers, in choosing 
children for Kings wood school, in disposing of the yearly 
contribution, and the preachers' fund, or any other public 
money. But do all things with a single eye, as I have 
done from the beginning. Go on thus, doing all things 
without prejudice or partiality, and God will be with you 
to the end. John Wesley." 

The preachers, having met at the time and place ap- 
pointed, and this truly characteristic letter having been 
read, the following record was made : — 

" The conference have unanimously resolved, that all 
the preachers who are in full connection with them shall 
enjoy every privilege that the members of the conference 
enjoy, agreeably to the above written letter of our venerable 
deceased father in the gospel. 

" It may be expected that the conference make some 
observations on the death of Mr. Wesley ; but they find 
themselves utterly inadequate to express their ideas and 
feelings on this awful and affecting event. 

" Their souls do truly mourn their great loss ; and they 
trust they shall give the most substantial proofs of their 
veneration for the memory of their most esteemed father 
and friend, by endeavouring, with great humility and dif- 



158 



THE CENTENARY OF 



fidence, to follow and imitate him in doctrine, discipline, 

and life."* 

The death of its founder formed a crisis in Wesleyan 
Methodism. While he lived, he was a bond of union, 
both to the preachers and to all the societies ; but whether 
their unity could be preserved when his personal influence 
was no longer felt, was a question of very difficult solu- 
tion, concerning which there were great searchings of 
heart in many quarters. If the ' ; Deed of Declaration" 
could be acted upon, so that the governing power which 
that instrument created should be generally acknowledged, 
there could be no just ground of painful apprehension ; 
but if these objects could not be gained, the breaking up 
of the connection was inevitable. The preachers felt the 
awful responsibility of their situation, and pledged them- 
selves to abide by the principles which had regulated Mr. 
Wesley's conduct from the beginning. Some of them 
were men of more than ordinary experience, wisdom, and 
integrity. Among these William Thompson and Alex- 
ander Mather stood pre-eminent. They were men of 
strong sense, sound discretion, firm purpose, deep piety ; 
and were solemnly impressed with the justness of Mr. 
Wesley's plans, which they also thoroughly understood. 
These men of God, supported by their brethren, were a 
means of preserving the Methodist system in unimpaired 
efficiency in those critical times, and have thus laid the 
successive generations of both preachers and people under 
lasting obligations. 

The first attempt to set aside the " Deed of Declara- 
tion," and, by necessary consequence, to subvert the 
itinerant ministry which Mr. Wesley had instituted, was 
made by a body of trustees of chapels, who claimed the 
right of appointing the preachers to their respective pulpits. 

* Minutes of Conference, vol. i, pp. 233, 234. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM, 159 



This scheme was resisted and came to naught. Had it 
succeeded, the Methodist societies would at once have 
been converted into independent churches ; the regular 
exchange of preachers would necessarily have ceased ; 
and the plans of Mr. Wesley would have been only matters 
of history. 

The next attempt was made by certain persons of demo- 
cratic principles, but of very limited views, who contended 
for the introduction into the conference, as members of 
that body, of men whom the " Deed of Declaration" never 
contemplated. This plan was also resisted, as being di- 
rectly ruinous in its tendency. Had it been adopted, the 
conference, as constituted by Mr. Wesley, would have had 
no existence ; and no other body could have legally per- 
formed its prescribed functions. Another body could have 
had no just authority either to appoint the preachers to 
the chapels, or to execute the discipline of the connection. 
The conference was nothing but as it was defined and 
invested with power by the " Deed of Declaration ;" and, 
therefore, the moment that deed was superseded, there 
would have been an end of the Wesleyan itinerancy and 
order. Another system might have been devised, but Wes- 
leyan Methodism, in its essential principles, would have 
been no more. The body of the preachers and people in 
that eventful age remained nobly steadfast in their ad- 
herence to the true Wesleyan principles ; and, under God, 
the " Deed of Declaration" was their sheet-anchor in 
every storm. It has been of equal advantage in more 
modern times ; and its utility and benefits will probably be 
as lasting as the world, according to the design of its author. 

The " Deed of Declaration" being acknowledged, the 
connectional principle by this means preserved inviolate, 
the conference very properly consented, that, under certain 
regulations, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's sup- 
per should be administered in the Methodist chapels, and 



160 



THE CENTENARY OF 



divine worship performed in the forenoon of the sabbath ; 
measures which Mr. Wesley himself had anticipated, and 
for which he had, therefore, provided, both by the prepara- 
tion of a liturgy, and the formal ordination of some of 
the preachers. Various financial regulations were also 
adopted, for the purpose of removing all just ground of 
suspicion relative to the application of the funds of the 
connection. These arrangements gave general satisfac- 
tion, and were followed by the happiest results. Mutual 
confidence was preserved between the preachers and 
people ; and spiritual religion spread in almost every di- 
rection. Extensive revivals of the work of God broke 
out in several places ; new societies were formed, and 
older ones were quickened and augmented ; and many 
chapels, of various sizes, were erected and enlarged. 
Within ten years after Mr. Wesley's death the societies 
were increased, in Great Britain alone, more than forty 
thousand ; and, in twenty years, they were increased up- 
ward of one hundred thousand. 

In the year 1811 a bill was brought into the house of 
lords, the professed object of which was to amend the 
act of toleration, but which, in fact, went to repeal its most 
important and beneficial provisions. Had it been made 
the law of the land, and strictly enforced, it would have 
effected the entire subversion of the Wesleyan ministry. 
Its true character was ascertained and an appeal was made 
to the country, when the petitions against it were so nu- 
merous and urgent as to induce its withdrawal. New in- 
terpretations having been given to the act of toleration, 
which, in a great measure, defeated its object, application 
was made to parliament, during the following year, for a 
new act of a more definite character, and better suited to 
the state of the country, which was ultimately conceded. 
Thomas Allen, Esq., of London, was concerned in the 
drawing up of this new act ; and his exertions, with those 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



161 



of his friend, the late Joseph Butterworth, M. P., were of 
especial service in obtaining the' invaluable boon. It has 
secured to the Wesleyan ministry and societies more am- 
ple protection than they heretofore enjoyed. 

The steady advancement of the work at home was at- 
tended by corresponding prosperity abroad. The mis- 
sions were successfully carried on under the direction of 
Dr. Coke, who travelled through the kingdom, making col- 
lections in the congregations for their support ; soliciting 
subscriptions from wealthy individuals wherever he could 
gain access ; selecting suitable men for the work, both 
among the itinerants and the local preachers ; and, by a 
regular correspondence with the missionaries, giving 
counsel and encouragement, as their cases might require. 
His untiring zeal and perseverance, connected with his 
superior education and very gentlemanly manners, emi- 
nently qualified him for this difficult and weighty service. 
For many an imprisoned missionary in the West Indies 
did he obtain liberty by his personal applications to men in 
power ; and several persecuting acts of the local legisla- 
tures did he prevail upon the government at home to dis- 
allow. From the time of Mr. Wesley's death, in 1791, to 
the year 1811, under the active and vigilant superintend- 
ence of this most benevolent and devoted man, the mis- 
sionaries in the West Indies and in British North Ameri- 
ca were increased from twenty-one to forty-three, besides 
eleven who were employed in the Irish mission among the 
neglected papists ; and the members of society in those 
foreign stations were increased from six thousand five hun- 
dred and twenty-five to thirteen thousand three hundred 
and eighty-two. The doctor would have introduced a much 
greater number of labourers into the mission field, had his 
resources been more ample. Many " home missionaries," 
preaching in the most destitute and neglected parts of 



162 



THE CENTENARY OF 



England, were supported out of the fund from which he 
drew his supplies for the foreign work. 

At the conference of 1813 Dr. Coke, then in the sixty- 
seventh year of his age, expressed an earnest desire to 
proceed to the East Indies, for the purpose of establishing 
a mission there. Eighteen times had he crossed the At- 
lantic ocean, for missionary objects ; yet his godly ardour 
was unabated, as his conviction of the truth of Christianity, 
and of its importance to mankind, became increasingly 
strong and influential. Some of his brethren, recollecting 
his advanced age, the difficulties which would be necessa- 
rily connected with the undertaking, and the serious in- 
conveniences which the missions already in existence 
would experience in consequence of his departure, at- 
tempted to dissuade him from the enterprise, desirable as 
they confessed it to be. He heard their reasonings and 
remonstrances ; and then, bursting into tears, he exclaimed 
in a manner which they could not resist, " If you will not 
let me go, you will break my heart !" 

His brethren withdrew their opposition ; and this hon 
oured patron and friend of missions, accompanied by 
James Lynch, William Ault, George Erskine, William M. 
Harvard, Thomas Squance, Benjamin Clough, and John 
M'Kenny, embarked for the East, in December, 1813, 
intending to appoint these esteemed men to such fields of 
evangelical labour as actual observation might recommend. 
On the third of May following he was found dead in his 
cabin, having expired, it was believed, in a fit of apoplexy. 
Thus ended the life and labours of this estimable man, 
whose name will ever be remembered in honourable asso- 
ciation with modern missions. Next to Mr. Wesley, no 
man was ever connected with the Methodist body who 
contributed more to extend the blessings of Christianity 
among mankind. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



163 



The mission to the East was not abandoned when the 
spirit of Dr. Coke fled to paradise, and his remains were 
committed to the great deep. His companions, though 
young and inexperienced, proceeded on their voyage, re- 
solved to act as Providence might direct ; and on their 
arrival at the place of their destination, their forlorn situ- 
ation excited a deep and general sympathy. Money was 
advanced to them on the faith of the connection at home ; 
and they entered upon their work in full reliance upon the 
Lord, whose gospel they had come to teach. The mission 
which they began under these circumstances has already 
exerted a powerful influence upon the island of Ceylon. 
It has also long since been extended to the continent of 
India, and rises every year in interest and importance. 

Strange as it may appear, the Wesleyan missions were 
greatly advanced in consequence of Dr. Coke's departure 
from Europe, and sudden death. The fact is, the con- 
nection had almost entirely relied upon his personal exer- 
tions, both in directing the operations of the missions, and 
in providing the means of their support. When he was 
no more, the preachers and people awoke from their su- 
pineness, and felt the necessity of combined and strenuous 
efforts, that they might maintain the missions which were 
already formed, and commence others, which were greatly 
needed, and in many cases loudly called for. The Rev. 
Geo. Morley, the superintendent of the Leeds circuit, 
suggested to his colleagues, and the friends in general, the 
formation of a missionary society, in that town, by means 
of a public meeting. They approved of the project ; the 
Rev. Richard Watson and James Buckley were engaged 
as preachers ; and Thomas Thompson, Esq., M. P., con- 
sented to take the chair at the meeting, which was well 
attended, and answered the end proposed. These arrange- 
ments were greatly facilitated by the very judicious and 
efficient co-operation of the Rev. Jabez Bunting, who was 



164 



THE CENTENARY OF 



then stationed in the Leeds circuit, and was also the 
chairman of the district. A new and mighty impulse was 
thus given to the mission work in the connection. Other 
places, in swift succession, followed the noble example of 
Leeds, till the Methodist congregations from the Land's 
End to the Tweed caught the sacred flame. Collectors 
offered their services in all directions ; the hearts of the 
people were everywhere impressed and opened by the 
state of the heathen, and the communication of authentic 
missionary intelligence ; and money was, from year to 
year, poured into the sacred treasury beyond all former 
precedent. At the same time missionaries have continued 
willingly to offer themselves even for the most hazardous 
and difficult stations ; and doors of entrance are almost 
every year opened in the most unexpected quarters. 

One man every person acknowledged to have been 
raised up by an especial providence in connection with 
the mission department, — the late Rev. Richard Watson : 
a man of the richest mental endowments, the whole of 
which he brought to bear upon this work. He pleaded 
the sacred cause from the pulpit, the platform, and the 
press, with a force of argument, an originality and beauty 
of illustration, a sublimity of thought, and a power of per- 
suasion, which perhaps no man, whether speaker or writer, 
ever surpassed ; and, in union with his brethren, he 
directed the practical working of the mission system with 
a sound judgment, and patient, persevering zeal. He wore 
out his life in this holy service, consumed by the quench- 
less ardour of his own spirit. More than any other indi- 
vidual, this distinguished minister for a time supplied the 
place of the lamented Dr. Coke. 

It is a striking proof of the providential character of 
the missions in question, that when the most gifted and 
efficient agents are removed, the work suffers no declen- 
sion. After the death of Dr. Coke, whose place it was 



WESLEYAST METHODISM. 



165 



thought no other person could supply, the missions pros- 
pered beyond all former example ; and in some quarters 
the result has been the same since Mr. Watson finished 
his brilliant and holy career. Allusion is here particularly 
intended to the Wesleyan missions in the South seas, 
where the savage inhabitants of whole islands have aban- 
doned the idols of their fathers ; and where the people by 
thousands have become the spiritual worshippers of God. 
Civilization there walks hand in hand with Christianity ; 
children, and even old people are gathered together in 
schools ; and persons of all ranks are successfully learning 
the useful arts. Like the primitive disciples also, these 
people, constrained by the love of Christ, are panting to 
carry the gospel into " the regions beyond." The change 
which has taken place in the spirit and habits of those 
savage tribes, is so sudden, deep, and extensive, — so ob- 
viously above all human power, — that he is blind who 
cannot see in it the working of that Almighty Spirit by 
whose agency three thousand persons in Jerusalem were 
in one day converted from Jewish obstinacy and unbelief 
to the faith of Christ. 

The Wesleyan missionaries, accredited ministers of the 
connection, are about three hundred and eleven in number. 
They are assisted in their work by catechists, local 
preachers, assistants, superintendents of schools, school- 
masters and schoolmistresses, artisans, &c. ; of whom 
about two hundred are employed at a moderate salary, and 
two thousand six hundred afford their services gratuitously. 
The stations occupied by the missionaries in different parts 
of the world are about two hundred and four ; each station 
being in general the head of a circuit of towns and villages 
around, embracing a numerous population brought under 
evangelical instruction. The principal stations of the 
society's missionaries are in Western and Southern 
Africa, Ceylon, Continental India, New South Wales, Van- 



166 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Dieman's Land, New-Zealand, Tonga, Habai Islands, 
Vavou Islands, Fejee Islands, the West Indies, and British 
North America. To these must be added those in Ireland, 
Sweden, Germany, France, Cadiz, Gibraltar, and Malta. 
Schools are conducted by the missionaries themselves, or 
under their immediate superintendence. Christian wor- 
ship forms apart of the school arrangements. The holy 
Scriptures, in the language vernacular on the several sta- 
tions, are invariably used in the school by those who are 
sufficiently advanced to read them. The masters and mis- 
tresses are selected for their piety and zeal, as well as with 
a regard to their other qualifications ; and the whole sys- 
tem is conducted on the avowed principle of spreading at 
once the knowledge of letters, and the knowledge of God. 
The usefulness of mission schools is particularly seen in 
the raising up of a native ministry. In Ceylon, in the 
South seas, in Southern Africa, and in Western Africa, 
are found zealous preachers of divine truth, who received 
their education in the mission schools ; and many of them 
trace their first religious impressions to the instructions 
which they enjoyed there. Edward Frazer, whose recent 
visit to England will not soon be forgotten, is a fine speci- 
men of that native ministry which may be expected to 
arise in the West Indies, now that slavery is abolished. 

The number of scholars, adults and children, taught in 
the mission schools, is forty-nine thousand two hundred 
and sixty-six. The members of society under the care 
of the missionaries, exclusive of those in Ireland, is above 
sixty-five thousand. Persons belonging to the mission 
congregations, not in religious society, may be fairly esti- 
mated at an equal number. To these may be added the 
children and adults who are under school instruction ; 
making a total of more than one hundred and eighty thou~ 
sand persons who are directly receiving spiritual advan- 
tage by means of the Wesleyan missions. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



167 



In Ceylon, in Africa, in the Friendly Islands, and in 
New-Zealand, the missionaries employ printing establish- 
ments. Valuable translations of the Scriptures, and of 
various other works, have been effected by the missiona- 
ries ; by whom, in more than twenty different languages, 
the gospel is preached to some of the most remote and 
idolatrous nations of the earth. 

For the support of this vast enterprise the Wesleyan 
societies, assisted by the liberality of the Christian public, 
raised, in the year 1837, the sum of 83,6482. 10s. 6d. 

The Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States 
of America considerably outnumbers the sister connection 
in Great Britain. The societies, which are scattered over 
an immense tract of country are placed under the care of 
twenty-eight conferences ; which meet annually, and are 
superintended by six bishops, who are chiefly distinguished 
from their brethren by the abundance of their labours, and 
the frequency and length of their journeys. The minis- 
ters in general are eminently travelling preachers. They 
follow the settlers into the most remote wildernesses, pro- 
claiming to them the word of life ; collecting them toge- 
ther in religious society that they may stir up each other's 
minds by way of remembrance, and watch over one ano- 
ther in the Lord ; administering the sacraments of baptism 
and the Lord's supper ; that these sons of the forest, in 
the midst of their daily toils, and far distant from the 
crowded haunts of men, may not forget the more impor- 
tant business of their salvation, and the strict account 
which they must render to the Judge of all. But for these 
itinerant ministers of Christ, oftener seen on horseback, 
each carrying with him his limited wardrobe and his 
Bible, than in the study or the parlour, many even of the 
emigrants from happy England, who have been nursed in 
Christianity, would never hear of the mercy of their Sa- 
viour, and would inevitably fall into practical heathenism. 



168 



THE CENTENARY Of 



In the deep woods of America the scene contemplated by 
Mr. Charles Wesley is beautifully realized : — 

" Ye mountains and vales, in praises abound ; 
Ye hills and ye dales, continue the sound : 
Break forth into singing, ye trees of the wood ; 
For Jesus is bringing lost sinners to God !" 

And the heart of many a solitary emigrant has beaten with 
holy joy while singing in the same holy strain, — 

" Atonement He made for every one ; 
The debt he hath paid, the work he hath done : 
Shout, all the creation, below and above, 
Ascribing salvation to Jesus's love !" 

The missionary energies of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church are mostly expended upon the Indian tribes, and 
the scattered white and black population of their own con- 
tinent. Upward of two thousand Indians are acknow- 
ledged as regular members of the church. That church 
has also a prosperous mission at Liberia, on the African 
coast, where twelve missionaries are employed ; and ano- 
ther at Texas, recently formed, from which the accounts 
are very encouraging. At this place four large circuits 
have been formed, and some conversions have already 
taken place, which give the promise of future success. 

The efforts of that church in the cause of education are 
noble and praiseworthy. In addition to many minor and 
private establishments, there are, in immediate connection 
with the several conferences, six collegiate institutions, 
and one university. Four of these are west of the Alle- 
ghany mountains, in the great valley of the Mississippi, 
and its tributary waters ; and three are in the Atlantic 
states. All of them possess the power of conferring aca- 
demic degrees. " One of the leading objects of our insti- 
tutions has been," says Dr.Tisk, the principal of the Wes- 
leyan University, " to secure a religious influence, and a 



WESLEYAN* METHODISM. 



169 



suitable religious training for our youth. We think, if re- 
ligion, and that modification of it which we profess, is 
worth any thing for the parents, it is equally valuable for 
the children ; and if it is beneficial for the world, it should 
be maintained : and who shall maintain it, if our children 
forsake the religion of their fathers ? In this object the 
Methodist Church in America has not been disappointed. 
The God of all grace has specially and signally marked 
the work with the seal of his approval. We have wit- 
nessed many gracious outpourings of the Holy Spirit upon 
our schools ; and a great portion of those who leave these 
institutions go away with fixed principles of religious doc- 
trine and experience, that will, no doubt, govern their 
future lives."* 

In the Methodist Episcopal Church are three thousand 
one hundred and six itinerant ministers ; two hundred and 
sixteen who are superannuated ; and fiVe thousand seven 
hundred and ninety-two local preachers. The private 
members amount to six hundred and eighty-six thousand 
five hundred and forty-nine ; of whom six hundred and 
five thousand two hundred and twelve are whites, seventy- 
nine thousand two hundred and thirty-six are coloured, 
and two thousand one hundred and one are Indians. What 
hath God wrought since Richard Boardman and Joseph 
Pilmoor embarked for that continent in the year 1769, 
with the prayers and blessings of Mr. Wesley ! 

The Methodist Church in Canada is distinct from that 
of the United States. It is divided into forty-seven cir- 
cuits, exclusive of forty-seven mission stations, and em- 
ploys seventy-eight preachers, with eleven who are super- 
numerary. The members of society are fourteen thou- 
sand. Were it not for the ministry of the Wesleyan 
preachers in Upper and Lower Canada, many thousands 

* Wesleyan Methodist Magazine for December, 1836. 
8 



170 



THE CENTENARY OF 



of the British settlers would be entirely destitute of the 
ordinances of Christianity. The Wesleyan mission among 
the Canada Indians is full of interest. Of this race of red 
men, no fewer than fifteen hundred are now regular mem- 
bers of religious society. They have abandoned their 
savage mode of life, and reside together in villages, where 
they have schools and places of worship. Two of their 
native preachers, Peter Jones and John Sunday, have 
visited England, where their manly sense and sound piety 
excited the liveliest pleasure. 

The Methodist connection in Ireland comprehends forty- 
nine circuits, and eighteen mission stations ; one hundred 
and sixty preachers, including the missionaries, and those 
who are on the supernumerary list ; and twenty-six thou- 
sand two hundred and forty-four members of society. To 
some persons this number will appear small ; but the rea- 
son is obvious. The superstitions and errors of popery 
occupy the minds of a large majority of the people of Ire- 
land, and render them hostile to the truth ; while inces- 
sant political agitations divert their attention from it. There 
is another cause, to which few people duly advert. In 
many parts of Ireland the law is comparatively powerless, 
and fails to afford adequate protection to either the lives 
or the property of the Protestants. Hence the frequency 
of Protestant emigration. Within the last fifteen years 
no fewer than ten thousand members of the Methodist so- 
cieties in Ireland have left their native country, and sought 
a more safe and quiet residence in other lands, mostly in 
America. Not a few of these were as the life-blood of 
the societies to which they belonged. They were gene- 
rally persons of some property, the support and stay of the 
cause in their different localities ; and in several instances 
their removal has led to the withdrawal of the preaching, 
and the consequent dissolution of the societies and con- 
gregations ; no other persons in the same places being 



WESLEi AN METHODISM. 



171 



able to afford shelter to the servants of God by whom they 
had been regularly visited. The preservation and revival 
of Protestantism in that part of the empire are, in the first 
instance, mainly attributable, under God, to the Christian 
and patriotic efforts of the two Wesleys, and those of their 
fellow-labourers and successors, the Methodist preachers. 
For many years they stood almost alone and unfriended 
in their generous endeavours to rescue the Irish people 
from the hateful and degrading tyranny of a wicked and 
rapacious priesthood, who " destroyed souls for the sake 
of dishonest gain," and of secular ambition. These up- 
right and devoted men have meekly endured bitter priva- 
tions and opposition; but their "judgment is with the Lord, 
and their work with their God." The Romish priests 
have often stood in the ways leading to Methodist chapels, 
with horsewhips in their hands, to drive away such mem- 
bers of their congregations as might stray in that direc- 
tion; and to meet the spiritual necessities of a people thus 
oppressed, and cruelly kept in ignorance and sin, the Me- 
thodist ministers have preached on horseback, in the fairs 
and markets, where many a deluded votary of Rome has 
not only heard words whereby he might be saved, but 
whereby he has been actually turned from darkness unto 
light, and from the power of Satan unto God. The vene- 
rable Gideon Ouseley, with several of his brethren, has 
grown gray in this benevolent and holy service. 

The state of the Wesleyan connection in England is at 
present such as not only to afford satisfaction, but to call 
for gratitude. The ebullition of democratic feeling which 
took place in some of the societies a few years ago, and 
was called forth by the spirit of the times, has, through 
the great mercy of God, entirely subsided ; and the attempt 
which was then made to subvert the Wesleyan plan of 
discipline has not only failed, but been overruled for good. 
That discipline stands upon a surer foundation, and is 



172 



the Centenary of 



more deeply rooted in the confidence both of the preach- 
ers and the societies than it ever was at any former period. 
The wisdom and propriety of Mr. Wesley's maxim are now 
everywhere practically acknowledged : " Do not mend 
our rules, but keep them, and that for conscience' sake." 
Many of the societies have, within the last two or three 
years, been greatly enlarged ; never was the Wesleyan 
ministry so numerously attended, since its commencement, 
as it is at this day. Expectations of increased spiritual 
prosperity are generally excited, and more signal displays 
of the Holy Spirit's power and love, in the conversion of 
ungodly men, and in the improved piety of believers, are 
almost everywhere anticipated. 

This happy state of things has been brought about by 
God's blessing upon the firm stand which was made, four 
or five years ago, in behalf of the true Wesleyan princi- 
ples, against an unhallowed attempt which was made to 
subvert them. To break down the hedge of the discipline 
by which the purity of the body had till that period been 
preserved, and secure for every preacher the liberty to do 
what was right in his own eyes during the intervals of 
Conference, an appeal was made to the Courts of Chan- 
cery, which not only failed entirely of its object, but ob- 
tained for Mr. Wesley's Deed of Declaration, and the 
discipline of the body founded upon it, the direct sanction 
of his Honour, Mr. Vice-Chancellor Shadwell, and of the 
Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst : so that the opposition then 
raised turned out, by God's overruling providence, to the 
fullest establishment of that godly order which it was in- 
tended for ever to sweep away. The names of John 
Burton, James Wood, John Marsden, James Fildes, and 
their brethren, the trustees of the Oldham-street chapel in 
Manchester, and of Robert Newton, the chairman of the 
district, against whom the suit was directed, and who 
stood forward with unflinching fidelity in the day of trial, 



WESLEYAN" METHODISM. 



173 



— resolved to stand or fall with Wesleyan Methodism, — 
will be transmitted with honour to posterity. In with- 
standing this attempt to subvert the goodly system of the 
body, these faithful men were efficiently assisted by the 
professional talent of their solicitor, T. Percival Bunting, 
Esq., of Manchester, who was equally concerned with 
themselves to maintain the system inviolate. 

There is another individual who in those times was 
especially singled out, by a licentious press, as an object of 
obloquy, for no other reason than this — that he was the ablest 
advocate of the true Wesleyan system. Enlargement upon 
this subject would be improper ; for Jabez Bunting is 
still living : and long may he live as an ornament and pil- 
lar of the connection ! It is, however, bare justice to add, 
that to him, more than to any other man since the death 
of Mr. Wesley, is the Methodist body indebted for carry- 
ing out its principles into practical effect, and for fixing its 
various institutions upon a permanent and liberal base. 

There are about three thousand Wesleyan chapels in 
England, besides a vast number of other places where 
God's word is regularly preached, and public prayer- 
meetings are held. Several of the chapels are of very 
large dimensions, especially in the principal manufac- 
turing towns, such as Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and 
Huddersfield ; and they are filled every sabbath by willing 
crowds. In Leeds alone the chapels contain four thou- 
sand free sittings for the accommodation of the poor ; and 
in many other places the spiritual necessities of the lower 
classes of society are met in the same liberal manner. 
The sum of money which Wesleyan Methodism has ex- 
pended in providing chapel-room for the vastly increasing 
population of the country, is almost incredible. The 
number of private members in religious society is two 
hundred and ninety-six thousand eight hundred and one. 
The number of ministers, itinerant and supernumerary, is 



♦ 



174 



THE CENTENARY OF 



one thousand and nineteen, who are perfectly united to- 
gether in the same mind and the same judgment on all 
the leading subjects of Christian theology.* The import- 
ant body of local preachers, we presume, cannot be fewer 
than four thousand. 

When the system of Sunday-school instruction was 
first introduced, it met with Mr. Wesley's cordial approval ; 
and in this service the connection has continued to take 
an active part. Exclusive of Wales, where the system is 
extensively pursued, but from which no returns have been 
recently received, there are in Great Britain three thou- 
sand three hundred and thirty -nine Wesleyan Sunday 
schools, including three hundred and forty-one thousand 
four hundred and forty-two children, and employing fifty- 
nine thousand two hundred and seventy-seven teachers, 
whose services are all gratuitous. In the support of these 
institutions the sum of about £17,800 is annually expended. 
Many of them are furnished with libraries, from which 
the senior scholars, and the families to which they belong, 
are supplied with books of a pious and useful character. 
Many excellent day schools have also been formed in 
connection with Methodist chapels, and their number is 
increasing every year. 

In most of the larger towns, as well as in several vil- 
lages, there are also Wesleyan tract societies, carried on 
upon the loan system. Visiters are appointed to different 
districts, whose office it is to call at every house in order, 
offering to the families the loan of a religious tract for a 
given period, and receiving those that were left at the time 
of the last visit. By this means divine light is diffused 
among careless and ungodly people ; neglected children 
are often introduced to Simday schools ; and whole fami- 
lies are sometimes induced to sanctify the sabbath, and 
attend the house of God. 

*.See note A, at the end of this chapter. 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



175 



The Naval and Military Bible Society was originally 
formed by a small number of Wesleyan Methodists, in the 
year 1779. George Cussons, of Wardour-street, London, 
took an active part in devising the plan, and in directing 
its first operations. It afterward obtained high patronage ; 
and has been of incalculable benefit to the brave men who 
form the army and navy of England. 

The Monthly Magazine, which Mr. Wesley instituted 
about sixty years ago, is still carried on, and widely cir- 
culated. It is conducted upon its original theological 
principles, though it is less polemical in its character 
than it was in his hands, the circumstances of the times 
being changed. It is still employed in repelling unjust 
attacks upon the body, for which, unhappily, the calls are 
too frequent. To this periodical, the oldest of the kind 
now in England, there have been added, since Mr. Wes- 
ley's death, four others, — the Missionary Notices, the 
Youth's Instructor, the Cottager's Friend, and the Child's 
Magazine, — all of which are very extensively read. To 
the invaluable works of Mr. Wesley and Mr. Fletcher 
there have also been added those of Mr. Benson, Dr. 
Adam Clarke, Mr. Watson, Mr. SutclirTe, Mr. Edmond- 
son, Mr. TrerTry, and those of his late gifted and lamented 
son ; with a vast number of biographical and other publi- 
cations, adapted to private and family reading. The 
literature of the connection, now somewhat voluminous, 
and in several of its departments extremely rich and 
valuable, finds its way into many villages and hamlets 
where other books are little known. The Bible, with one 
or more of the Wesleyan commentaries, and other books 
from the Wesleyan press, constitute many a well-read 
cottage library. 

Upward of fifty years ago the Benevolent or Stranger's 
Friend Society was instituted by some individuals belong- 
ing to the Wesleyan body. It appears to have commenced 



176 THE CENTENARY OF 

about the same time both in London and Manchester ; and 
its principles and plan were speedily adopted in most of 
the large towns of the kingdom. Its design is to afford 
relief to strangers in the season of want and sickness ; 
and the administration of pecuniary relief is always ac- 
companied by spiritual instruction and prayer. The 
visiters, male and female, are generally persons of deep 
piety, well instructed in the things of God, and of ad- 
mirable zeal and patience. Not a few of them, it is 
believed, have died by contagious fevers, caught in their 
enterprise of charity. Many a profligate wanderer from 
God and righteousness have these messengers of mercy 
led to the compassionate Saviour of men ; and many a 
valuable life have they been a means of preserving, by 
the timely supply of food and medicine. Parents, dying 
of want, have been snatched from the yawning grave and 
spared to protect and bless their children. In London 
this society is liberally supported by other denominations 
of Christians ; and he must possess a heart of stone who 
can read in its annual reports the record of its operations, 
without tears of sympathy with the sufferers, and of grati- 
tude for the help afforded to them. 

In some instances the generous anxiety of the society 
and congregations to provide accommodation for them- 
selves, and for the people by whom they were surrounded, 
has led them to erect chapels of larger dimensions and of 
a more costly kind than their means would justify ; and 
hence debts were accumulated to an amount which excited 
just and general alarm. To relieve the cases of distress 
"which were thus created, funds have within the last few 
years been formed for the purpose of calling forth and 
assisting local exertion ; and the last Report of the Ge- 
neral Chapel Fund contains the following intelligence : — 
" The committee are greatly rejoiced to be able to state 
that the actual debt upon chapels, now extinguished by 



WES LEY AN METHODISM. 



177 



the operation of the present Loan Fund, is £93,398 ; 
which, added to £51,000, liquidated by the former loan 
system, makes a grand total of £147,398. For the re- 
moval of so great impediments as most of these debts 
were found to be to the prosperity of the work of God, by 
the general and steady efforts of the friends of Wesley an 
Methodism, the committee cannot but express their grati- 
tude to the great Head of the church, who has so gra- 
ciously disposed the hearts of his people to devise liberal 
things." These funds have been greatly indebted to the 
sound discretion and unwearied zeal of Thomas Marriot, 
James Heald, John Fernley, Robert Wood, Francis A. 
West, and Jonathan Crowther, the esteemed treasurers 
and secretaries ; and to the valuable co-operation of 
Thomas Crook, William Naylor, and John Mason. 

To render the Wesleyan ministry increasingly efficient, 
and better adapted to the character and circumstances of 
the present times, the Theological Institution was formed 
in the year 1S34. None are admitted as students there 
but such candidates for the ministry as are approved, in 
the first instance, by the circuits to which they belong, 
and the district committees before whom they are severally 
examined; as well as by the conference, to whom the 
case of each person is reported. The undertaking has 
been already crowned with a success far surpassing what 
could have been reasonably anticipated in so short a time. 
The theological and literary training which the students 
have received has been of the greatest advantage ; and 
the benefits are strikingly apparent, both at home and on 
several of the mission stations. The managing commit- 
tee are particularly happy in having obtained the services 
of the Rev. Dr. Hannah, tutor in the several provinces of 
theological instruction, and those of the Rev. Samuel 
Jones, A.M., of Trinity College, Dublin, for the classical 
and mathematical departments. Recent occurrences in 



178 



THE CENTENARY OF 



the institution forcibly remind one of what took place in a 
similar establishment at Trevecka, of which that holy 
man, John Fletcher, of Madeley, was v the head. When 
he visited " the sons of the prophets" who were under 
his care, it is said, by his friend and biographer, Joseph 
Benson, who witnessed what he describes, that, " being 
convinced that to be filled with the Holy Ghost was a 
better qualification for the ministry of the gospel than any 
classical learning, (although that, too, is useful in its place,) 
after speaking awhile in the school-room, he used fre- 
quently to say, 'As many of you as are athirst for this 
fulness of the Spirit, follow me into my room.' On this 
many of us have instantly followed him, and there con- 
tinued two or three hours, wrestling, like Jacob, for the 
blessing, praying, one after another, till we could bear to 
kneel no longer. This was not done once or twice, but 
many times. And I have sometimes seen him on these 
occasions, once in particular, so filled with the love of 
God that he could contain no more."* Guarded, as the 
institution is, and teaching, as it does, the pure principles 
of Wesleyan theology, it cannot fail to be an extensive 
and permament blessing to the connection. 

The freedom of the connection from heretical opinions 
is a just occasion of gratitude. The honest boast of Mr. 
Wesley on this subject is as applicable to the present 
times as it was ninety years ago, when it was first made. 
Speaking of " the purity of the religion which had then 
spread itself so deeply and widely," he says, " I speak 
particularly with regard to the doctrines held by those 
among whom it is so extended. Those of the Church of 
England, at least, must acknowledge this. For where is 
there a body of people in the realm, who, number for 
number, so closely adhere to what our Church delivers as 



* Life of Mr. Fletcher, p. 139, Am. edit. 



WESLEY AX METHODISM. 



179 



pure doctrine ? "Where are those who have approved and do 
approve themselves more orthodox, more sound in their 
opinions ? Is there a Socinian or Arian among them all ? 
Nay, were you to recite the whole catalogue of heresies 
enumerated by Bishop Pearson, it might be asked, Who 
can lay any one of these to their charge V* 

Occupying a distinct and peculiar position between 
strict churchmanship and systematic dissent, the Wesleyan 
Methodists, amidst the collision of parties, have, within 
the last few years, been the objects of severe censure 
both on the right hand and on the left.f They have, how- 
ever, steadily adhered to the principles upon which their 
fathers acted from the beginning ; and, judging from their 
past conduct, they are not likely soon to alter their course. 
Their great calling is that of spreading spiritual religion 
in the world ; the religion which makes men partakers of 
the divine nature, and prepares them to share in the glo- 
ries and happiness of the heavenly state, when the tur- 
moils of party, and all the, transitory concerns of earth 
shall have passed away and be forgotten. The principles 
of strict dissent, including that of the unlawfulness of re- 
ligious establishments, and the sin of being connected 
with them, J they never can profess without a direct reflec- 
tion upon the memory of their revered founder ; much less 
can they be parties in any attempt to effect the subversion 
of the Established Church of this country : and such a 
formal union with the Established Church as implies an 
abandonment of their own ministry, and of their peculiar 
form of discipline, would be equally a violation of Mr. 
Wesley's design. He executed the Deed of Declaration, 

* Works, vol. v, p. 145, Am. edit. 

t See note B at the end of this chapter. 

t On these and other important questions relating to religious es- 
tablishments, the reader is respectfully referred to the admirable 
Lectures of Dr. Chalmers on that subject. 



180 THE CENTENARY OF 

as we have already seen, " in order to fix them" (the Me- 
thodists) " upon such a foundation as is likely to stand as 
long as the sun and moon endure." The Church, with 
its three orders of ministers, can never sanction the ordi- 
nation which the Methodist preachers have received ; and 
those preachers can never resign their charge without sin- 
ning against Christ, by whom they conscientiously believe 
they are called to the office and work of ministers in the 
church of God. Nor have they any right, so to trifle with 
the consciences of mankind as to withdraw from more 
than a million of people the religious ordinances and means 
of salvation which they prefer before all others. There 
are principles concerned in questions of this nature more 
deep and momentous than superficial declaimers ever 
imagine. 

On the peculiar character and position of the Method- 
ists, Mr. Wesley makes the following remarks : — " Al- 
though we call sinners to repentance in all places of God's 
dominion ; and although we frequently use extempore 
prayer, and unite together in religious society ; yet we are 
not dissenters in the only sense which our law acknow- 
ledges We are not. seceders ; nor do we bear 

any resemblance to them. We set out upon quite opposite 
principles. The seceders laid the very foundation of their 
work in judging and condemning others ; we laid the foun- 
dation of our work in judging and condemning ourselves. 
They begin everywhere with showing their hearers how 
fallen the Church and ministers are. We begin every- 
where with showing our hearers how fallen they are them- 
selves."* 



* Works, vol. v, p. 227, Am. edit. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



181 



NOTE A, PAGE 174. 

A modern writer has indeed asserted the contrary. He 
first attacks the Protestant orthodoxy of Mr. Wesley, and 
then that of the present Methodist preachers in general. 
Having given an extract from the celebrated " Minutes of 
1770," leaving out sentences which are essential to a cor- 
rect view of Mr. Wesley's meaning, particularly in the 
last article, Mr. Conder says, " We can scarcely err in 
pronouncing the above language irreconcileable with the 
tenets of the Protestant reformers, and the doctrine of the 
Thirty-nine Articles, on the subject of justification by faith ; 
and standing, as it does, in the ' Large Minutes,' which 
are the authorized exposition of the W esleyan tenets, it 
seems to commit the whole body to opinions at variance 
with that cardinal article of Protestantism." — Analytical 
View of all Religions, p. 455. 

In answer to these allegations, we observe, 1. The 
" Minutes" in question are not " the authorized exposi- 
tion of the Wesleyan tenets," and were never intended to 
be such. That " exposition" is to be found in the first 
series of Mr. Wesley's sermons, and in his " Notes on 
the New Testament." The passage which Mr. Conder 
has quoted was part of a conversation between Mr. Wes- 
ley and his preachers, not on the entire question of a sin- 
ner's justification before God, but on certain Antinomian 
abuses of the doctrine of justification by faith; a doctrine 
which Mr. Wesley held as tenaciously and consistently 
as any man that ever lived. The preachers with whom 
the conversation was held, and for whose use principally 
it was published, never, for a moment, supposed him to 
deny the doctrine which, up to that period, had been the 
most prominent subject of his very effective ministry, as 
: t subsequently was to the end of his life. 



182 



THE CENTENARY OF 



2. When Mr. Wesley found that his meaning was mis- 
apprehended by persons whom he esteemed, he, and the 
preachers in concurrence with him, published the follow- 
ing explanatory declaration : — 

" Bristol, Aug. 9, 1771. 

" Whereas, the doctrinal points in the minutes of a con- 
ference held in London, August 7, 1770, have been un- 
derstood to favour justification by works ; now the Rev. 
John Wesley, and others, assembled in conference, do 
declare, that we had no such meaning ; and that we abhor 
the doctrine of justification by works, as a most perilous 
and abominable doctrine. And as the said minutes are 
not sufficiently guarded in the way they are expressed, we 
hereby solemnly declare, in the sight of God, that we have 
no trust or confidence but in the alone merits of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ for justification or salvation, 
either in life, death, or the day of judgment. And though 
no one is a real Christian believer (and consequently can- 
not be saved) who doeth not. good works, Avhere there are 
time and opportunity; yet our works have no part in merit- 
ing or purchasing our justification, from first to last, either 
in whole or in part." 

This declaration was signed by Mr. Wesley and fifty- 
three of his preachers. — Watson's Life of Mr. Wesley, 
p. 219. 

Now had it accorded with the views of Mr. Conder to 
lay before his readers this declaration of, Mr. Wesley, dis- 
avowing the meaning which had been given to the minutes, 
it would at once have been seen that " the whole body" 
of the W esleyan Methodists are so far from being " com- 
mitted to opinions at variance with that cardinal article 
of Protestantism," — justification by faith, — by the writings 
of their venerated founder, that they are actually pledged 
by him to this doctrine, as strongly as they could have 
been by any Protestant confession in Europe. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



183 



3. In the extract which Mr. Conder has produced, Mr. 
Wesley says, " We have received it as a maxim, that a 
man is to do nothing in order to justification. Nothing 
can be more false. Whosoever desires to find favour with 
God should ' cease from evil, and learn to do well.' So 
God himself teaches by the Prophet Isaiah. Whoever 
repents should do works meet for repentance. And if this 
is not in order to find favour, what does he do them for?" 
To fix the charge of antiprotestantism upon Mr. Wesley, 
on account of this statement, Mr. Conder adduces the 
twelfth article of the Church of England : " Albeit good 
works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justi- 
fication, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity 
of God's judgment, yet are they pleasing and acceptable to 
God in Christ, and do spring necessarily of a true and 
lively faith." To prove a correct discrepancy between 
this article and Mr. Wesley's minutes, Mr. Conder adds, 
" Mr. Wesley is speaking of works done £ in order to jus- 
tification,' and unconnected with faith in Jesus Christ." 
The answer is, most assuredly he is : and as the article 
speaks on a widely different subject, there is no contradic- 
tion between one and the other. The article speaks of 
" good works," in the strict theological sense of the ex- 
pression ; works which spring from " lively faith," and 
therefore, also, from love to God ; works which flow from 
a renovated nature, are done in obedience to God's will, 
and with a reference to his glory. Mr. Wesley speaks 
of " works meet for repentance ;" works which become a 
man who has the sentence of death in his own conscience, 
who feels the entire corruption of his own nature, and 
sees the wrath of God hanging over his head. This man 
can never be justified, but by faith in the sacrifice of 
Christ. But suppose faith does not come immediately 
after he is awakened to a discovery of his wretched and 
perishing condition ; for justifying faith, in a very impor- 



184 



THE CENTENARY OF 



tant sense, is the gift of God ; how is he to wait for it ? 
in the unrestrained practice of all his former wickedness, 
or in the diligent and prayerful use of the means of grace ? 
" Let him," says Mr. Wesley, quoting the words of Isaiah, 
" ' cease to do evil, and learn to do well ;' " and thus wait 
upon the Lord till he is able to believe to the saving of 
his soul. Is it for such teaching that " John Wesley" is 
to be hated and branded as a heretic from age to age ? 
Who then is orthodox? Is Mr. Conder himself? Would 
he teach a man who is convinced of sin, that, because he 
can be justified only by faith in the sacrifice of Christ, he 
may swear, and lie, and get drunk, and steal, and break 
the sabbath ? or would he teach the man to break off these 
sins by repentance, and wait upon God in the diligent use 
of the means of grace ? " But," it may be said, "the works 
which Mr. Conder in this case recommends are not 'good 
works,' properly speaking." The answer is, Certainly 
they are not. Mr. Wesley never said they were. He 
positively asserts the contrary in a hundred places, as 
Mr. Conder would have found, if he had thought it worth 
his while to read the writings of this deeply-injured man. 
" But," it may be added, " Mr. Wesley says, that ' works meet 
for repentance are to be done, that the penitent man may 
obtain the favour of God.' " Will Mr. Conder say for what 
other purpose they are to be recommended ? Are they to 
be done that men may offend God, and dishonour his name ? 
or are they to be submitted to as a part of that order in 
which men are to wait upon him, that they may receive 
that richer influence of the Spirit without which they can- 
not believe to the saving of their souls ? 

Having most illogically and unaccountably assumed, 
that " works meet for repentance" are identical with 
"good works, which spring from a lively faith," Mr. Con- 
der quotes the twelfth article of the English Church to 
prove that Mr. Wesley departed from the true Protestant 



WESLE VAN METHODISM. 



185 



principles. And now that we have, we trust, satisfactorily 
refuted this fallacious argument, we will adduce the same 
authority as that to which he appeals, to prove that Mr. 
Wesley was perfectly orthodox on the point in question. 
In the liturgy of the Church we find the following admo- 
nition : — " Dearly beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth 
us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our mani- 
fold sins and wickedness ; and that we should not dis- 
semble nor cloak them before the face of Almighty God 
our heavenly Father ; but confess them with an humble, 
lowly, penitent, and obedient heart." These are " works 
meet for repentance ;" and the Church declares, that " the 
Scripture moveth us," not once or twice merely, but " in 
sundry places," to the performance of them. For what 
purpose are they required ? The Church says, " To the 
end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his in- 
finite goodness and mercy.'' The language of the minutes 
is a mere echo of the liturgy. 

Will Mr. Conder still contend that, on this point, Mr. 
Wesley was antiprotestant ? Then we will invite his at- 
tention to the following explanation, given by Mr. Wesley 
himself : — With respect to " the nature of justification. It 
sometimes means our acquittal at the last day. (Matt, xii, 
37.) But this is altogether out of the present question ; 
that justification whereof our articles and homilies speak, 
meaning present forgiveness, pardon of sins, and, conse- 
quently, acceptance with God 

" I believe the condition of this is faith : (Rom. iv, 5, 
&c.:) I mean, not only that without, faith we cannot be 
justified ; but, also, that as soon as any one has true faith, 
in that moment he is justified. 

" Good works follow this faith, but cannot go before it : 
(Luke vi, 43 :) much less can sanctification, which im- 
plies a continued course of good works, springing from 
holiness of heart. But it is allowed, that entire sanctifi- 



186 



THE CENTENARY OF 



cation goes before our justification at the last day. (Heb. 
xii, 14.) 

" It is allowed, also, that repentance, and fruits meet 
for repentance go before faith. (Mark i, 15 ; Matt, iii, 8.) 
Repentance absolutely must go before faith ; fruits meet 
for it, if there be opportunity. By repentance I mean 
conviction of sin, producing real desires and sincere reso- 
lutions of amendment ; and by fruits meet for repentance, 
forgiving our brother, (Matt, vi, 14, 15,) ceasing from evil, 
doing good ; (Luke iii, 4, 9, &c. ;) using the ordinances 
of God, and, in general, obeying him according to the 
measure of grace which we have received. (Matt, vii, 7 ; 
xxv, 29.) But these I cannot, as yet, term good works ; 
because they do not spring from faith and the love of God " 
— Wesley' s Works, vol. 5, p. 35, Am. edit. 

4. The minutes which Mr. Conder has quoted led, as is 
well known, to a long and ardent controversy, in which 
Mr. Fletcher took a decided part. This holy man con- 
fessed, as did Mr. Wesley himself, that the minutes, not 
being intended for popular use, were incautiously worded. 
According to common justice, he explained them by the 
general tenour of Mr. Wesley's preaching and writings, 
and then demonstrated, I believe, to the satisfaction of 
every candid man in England, their consistency with the 
Scriptures of truth, and with the recorded sentiments of 
Baxter, Flavel, Dr. Owen, and others of the Puritan and 
Nonconformist divines. If Mr. Conder thinks otherwise, 
let him answer Mr. Fletcher's " Checks." Till this is 
done, it is the veriest begging of the question to talk of the 
antiprotestantism of the minutes. 

What then can be said concerning Mr. Conder's attack 
upon Mr. Wesley's orthodoxy as a Protestant ? Did 
he not know that the sense which he has affixed to the 
minutes Mr. Wesley publicly, solemnly, and in the name 
of God, disclaimed ? Did he not know that Mr. Fletcher 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



187 



had, with Mr. Wesley's concurrence, fixed their true mean- 
ing, and contended for their Scriptural and Protestant 
character ? If he did not know these things, he was inex- 
cusable when he undertook to write concerning Mr. Wes- 
ley, especially in a tone of authority and censure ; for 
ample information was within his reach. That he did 
know these things, and intended, by his silence, to de- 
ceive his readers, I cannot, I will not believe. He is a 
Christian gentleman, and could not so offend against right- 
eousness and truth. 

Mr. Conder has not yet done. He denies the Protest- 
antism of many of the Wesleyan Methodists, as well as 
that of Mr. Wesley. Pursuing the same subject, he says, 
" In point of fact, there prevails a considerable diversity 
within the Wesleyan body, as among the clergy of the 
Established Church, upon these points. Although the 
Wesleyans are avowedly Arminian Methodists, acknow- 
ledging that distinctive appellation, yet many of their popu- 
lar preachers have not scrupled to hold the same language 
as the evangelical clergy, and others of similar views ; 
while in some parts of the connection the doctrine of jus- 
tification by faith has been either incautiously or more 
boldly impugned, and views maintained differing little 
from the Romish theology." 

Sentences more unjust, and more misleading than these, 
were never penned, and never committed to the press. 
1. It is here intimated that, as professed Arminians, the 
Wesleyans should deny that sinners are justified through 
faith in Christ. It is therefore mentioned as a matter of 
surprise that some of the Methodist preachers have not 
"scrupled" to use the same language on that subject that 
evangelical ministers in general use. Now, what is the 
fact ? Did James Arminius, the theological professor of 
Leyden, deny this cardinal doctrine of all Protestant 
churches ? No more than he denied the being of a God ; 



188 



THE CENTENARY OF 



and the writer who makes such an assertion is either de- 
ceived himself, or intends to deceive others. No man 
ever lived who more clearly and explicitly asserted the 
true Protestant doctrine of justification through faith in 
Christ, than did that holy man and profound divine. On 
this topic he declared his full concurrence in the views 
of Calvin, as expressed in his Institutes. With respect 
to the point in question, the reader is referred with great 
pleasure to Mr. James Nichols' very able and faithful 
" Translation of the Works of Arminius," published a few 
years ago, in two octavo volumes. It is one of the most 
important publications of modern times. 

2. Mr. Conder asserts that serious differences on this 
great question exist even now in the Wesleyan body; and 
that, in some parts of the connection, the doctrine of justi- 
fication by faith is even " openly impugned," and a doc- 
trine taught which is substantially the same as that of the 
Church of Rome. That church, according to the Council 
of Trent, pronounces a curse upon all who assert the doc- 
trine of justification by faith ; and maintains that men are 
justified by personal holiness. I have been connected 
with the Wesleyan ministers, as one of their body, more 
than thirty-four years. During this time I have conversed 
with hundreds of them, at district-meetings, conferences, 
and on other occasions ; have heard them preach, have 
corresponded with them by letter ; and have been present 
with them times without number when doctrinal questions 
have been under examination ; and I solemnly declare, 
that I never met with one to whom Mr. Conder's descrip- 
tion applies ; nor did I ever hear of such a man. This 
matter cannot be allowed to rest. Mr. Conder must either 
produce proof of his most astounding assertion, or, as a 
man of truth, he must cancel the injurious statement. A 
person who teaches the doctrine which Mr. Conder attri- 
butes to " some parts of the connection" of Wesleyan 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



189 



Methodists, is no more a Wesleyan than Mr. Conder is a 
Jew. If the Wesleyan " trumpet" has, on any subject 
whatever, given " a certain sound," and that for a hundred 
years, it is on this one, — That sinners are freely justified 
from the guilt of all past sin by the simple exercise of 
faith in the sacrifice of Christ ; a faith preceded and ac- 
companied by repentance, and followed by peace of con- 
science, and by inward and outward holiness. This is 
the very substance of Methodist preaching. Those "parts 
of the connection" where a contrary doctrine is taught, 
Mr. Conder is bound to specify. For myself, I know them 
not. I never heard of them. Their existence I deny. 

The confusion and inconsistency of Mr. Conder's ac- 
count must indeed, of itself, awaken suspicion of its truth. 
It would seem, from one part of his statement, that the 
popish error concerning justification is the current doc- 
trine of the Wesleyan body ; for it is made a matter of 
wonder, as we have seen, that " their popular preachers" 
have not scrupled to use the language of Protestants, as if 
they knew that popery was the doctrine of their brethren. 
The reader is left to infer that the preachers who are not 
" popular," all teach the popish tenet that men are sancti- 
fied before they are justified, and that they are justified 
not by faith but by sanctification. And yet afterward Mr. 
Conder intimates that it is only "in some parts of the con- 
nection" that popery is taught, and the doctrine of justifi- 
cation by faith is "impugned." His words imply the con- 
trary propositions, that in the Wesleyan connection popery 
is the rule, and Protestantism the exception ; and that 
Protestantism is the rule, and popery the exception. And 
what does he mean by " some parts of the connection" as 
holding the Romish theology ? Does he not know that the 
Wesleyan ministers itinerate ; so that the same " parts" 
are alternately occupied by "popular" and unpopular men? 
that is, according to his account, by men who teach doc- 



190 



THE CENTENARY OF 



trines diametrically opposed to each other. Does he think 
that the congregations are so blind and ignorant as to 
endure this ? 

He states, also, that the Protestant doctrine in question 
is " either incautiously or more boldly impugned." It seems, 
then, that there are two modes in which the Wesleyans 
" impugn" this great truth. Some do it " incautiously," 
and others do it " more boldly." Will he tell us the mean- 
ing of this 1 We have always been accustomed to think 
that the absence of caution implies boldness. But if 
popery, on the subject of justification, really be the doc- 
trine currently taught in many Wesleyan pulpits, as Mr. 
Conder declares, if his words have any meaning, we ask, 
in the name of wonder, what need there is in this case for 
" caution ?" When men are violating truth, it is difficult 
to preserve consistency in their statements. 

We strongly suspect that if the Wesleyan body had 
consented to concur with Mr. Conder in certain political 
measures to which he attaches importance, but which they 
presume to think would be positively injurious, we should 
not have heard of their popery in his present publication. 



NOTE B, PAGE 179. 

The last aspersion upon the Wesleyan body that we 
have observed, as coining from the friends of the Esta- 
blished Church, is that of Dr. Croly. In a note to his 
Sermon on the Reformation, just published, we have the 
following statement : — " There is no intention in these 
remarks of including in schism all who may not adopt the 
discipline of the Establishment. The Church of Scotland 
differs from the Church of England in little more than 
name. The labours of Dr. Chalmers in the cause of es- 
tablishments have done honour to himself and to his coun- 



WESLEYAN - METHODISM. 



191 



try. There are sects whose discipline and doctrines are 
decorous. The Wesleyans even declare themselves 
friends of the Establishment. Yet why can they not per- 
ceive the proverbial weakness of neutrality, or how near 
the inactive Video meliora, proboque is to the Deteriora 
sequor V 

The " Wesleyans" can bear without a murmur the in- 
cessant railings of the Church's Gathercoles, and even the 
mendacity of the Church of England Quarterly Reviewers. 
Persons who write invectives for bread are generally harm- 
• less in proportion to the noise which they attempt to make. 
But when respectable men, like Dr. Croly, come forward, 
as in the case before us, 

" Willing to wound, but yet afraid to strike," 

and determined to keep up a perpetual irritation in the 
minds of those who wish them no harm, we think we 
have just ground of complaint. The " Wesleyans" are 
not the people that he describes. They have neither been 
" neutral" nor " inactive" in the cause of religion, morality, 
social order, and the institutions of the country. When 
one of their ministers a few years ago assumed the cha- 
racter of an agitator against the Establishment, and refused 
to abstain from such work in future, they dismissed him ; 
and would do the same again, if there were the like oc- 
casion. What does Dr. Croly wish us to do ? Does he 
want us to declare our approbation of all that is taught in 
the national Church, and of all the men that officiate within 
her pale ? Does he wish us to avow our conviction that 
the Church meets all the religious and moral wants of the 
community 1 If we should do this, there is not a man in 
England that would believe us, not even Dr. Croly him- 
self. Does he wish us to burn our hymn-books, turn our 
chapels into warehouses, trample on the bones of our 
fathers, who sleep around our places of worship, scatter 



192 



THE CENTENARY 0E 



our societies and congregations, recall our missionaries, 
break up our negro schools and congregations, and the 
schools and congregations of converted savages in Southern 
Africa and in the South seas, and let them all relapse into 
heathenism ? He cannot think that an act which would, 
as we conscientiously believe, involve such an unparal- 
leled amount of guilt, could really conduce to the glory 
of God, and the benefit of mankind. Can he certainly 
tell us what would be the effect, upon his own church, of 
the dissolution of the Wesleyan connection ? What then 
does he mean ? He insinuates evil against us in Latin. 
We repel his insinuation in plain English, for we have 
nothing to conceal, and we think that the conduct which 
the body has pursued for a hundred years should have 
screened us from such a suggestion as that which he has 
placed upon record. With all deference to the doctor, 
whom we sincerely esteem, especially for the noble Pro- 
testant heart which beats in his breast, we not only see 
and approve what is right, but follow it too, though not with 
the diligence and ardour that become us. 



CHAPTER VII. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS. 

Such are the leading facts connected with the rise and 
progress of what is called " Wesleyan Methodism." The 
entire system, comprehending all its arrangements, some 
writers have attributed to the genius of John Wesley, 
stimulated partly by piety and benevolence, partly by an 
indefinite something which they have called " enthusiasm," 
and partly by ambition. He had no preconcerted plan 
whatever when he entered upon his career as an itinerant 
preacher, but followed what he believed to be the open- 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



193 



ings and guidance of Divine Providence, often in direct 
opposition to his own prejudices and habits ; and it is re- 
markable that he never had occasion to retrace any of the 
steps which he had taken, or to abandon any of the mea- 
sures which he had adopted for the advancement of reli- 
gion. What the world called " Methodism" he was ac- 
customed to denominate " the work of God," especially 
when considered in reference to its effects upon indi- 
viduals. And such it unquestionably is, if we are to judge 
according to the principles laid down in the gospel. The 
members of the Methodist societies are, in the first in- 
stance, convinced of sin, and weep and pray under a con- 
sciousness of their guilt and danger, as did the three thou- 
sand Jews on the day of pentecost, Saul at Damascus, 
and the jailer at Philippi. Like those ancient penitents, 
they obtain relief, not by works of law, much less by 
worldly amusements, or gay company, but by believing in 
Christ as the great and only atonement. When they have 
thus come to Christ, trusting in his sacrifice and interces- 
sion, they find rest to their souls. Their consciences are 
purged from dead works ; guilty fear gives place in their 
minds to filial love ; sin ceases to have the dominion over 
them ; they hate it, and abstain from all appearance of it. 
They love God ; they sanctify his sabbaths ; they reve- 
rence his name ; they delight in his ordinances ; and they 
daily worship him in spirit and in truth. They love one 
another ; they take pleasure in each other's society, and 
delight to serve each other in love ; joyfully anticipating 
an endless union in heaven with Christ, their common 
Lord and Saviour. At the same time they cherish a kind, 
generous concern for the welfare of the whole human 
race ; and hence their exertions to bring mankind, both at 
home and abroad, into the same holy and happy state with 
themselves. It cannot be said that all have attained to 
this ; but this is the standard to which they are all tmahx 





194 



THE CENTENARY OF 



to aspire : and all this is unquestionably realized by tens 
of thousands of people in these realms, whose spirit and 
conduct are daily open to the public observation. 

Wherever these fruits of righteousness are, there God 
is present in the power of his Spirit. They are not pro- 
duced by any mere efforts of human nature. " Who can 
bring a clean thing out of an unclean" but God himself? 
Repentance is the gift of Christ, Acts v, 31. The Holy 
Spirit takes away the heart of stone, and gives the heart 
of flesh, Ezek. xxxvi, 26. " It is God that justifieth," 
Rom. viii, 33. It is " the God of hope" that " fills" men 
with " all joy and peace in believing," Rom. xv, 13. It is 
he that sends forth the Spirit of his Son into the hearts of 
believers, " crying, Abba, Father ;" and bearing witness 
with their spirits that they are the children of God, Gal. 
iv, 6 ; Rom. viii, 16. It is the law of the Spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus that makes men free from the law of sin and 
death, Rom. viii, 2. The holy love of God and man is 
an emanation from him, the fountain and pattern of all 
excellence. " Love is of God ; and every one that loveth 
is born of God, and knoweth God," 1 John iv. 7. It is 
the Father that makes men meet for the inheritance of the 
saints in light, Col. i, 12 ; and of those who, possessing 
this meetness, groan to be clothed upon with their house 
which is from heaven, it is said, " He that hath wrought us 
for the selfsame thing is God," 2 Cor. v, 5. 

The religion which is taught in the Methodist pulpits, 
and exemplified in the experience and conduct of the Me- 
thodist societies in general, has ever been regarded by its 
adherents as the very Christianity which is described in 
the New Testament, and was practised in the apostolical 
churches. The resemblance between the primitive Chris- 
tians and the Wesleyan societies has indeed been 
confessed by a competent and disinterested witness, Arch- 
deacon Paley, himself not very prone to indulge in enthu- 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 195 

siastic ardour, or flights of imagination. " After men 
became Christians," says he, " much of their time was 
spent in prayer and devotion, in religious meetings, in 
celebrating the eucharist, in conferences, in exhortations, 
in preaching, in an affectionate intercourse with one an- 
other, and correspondence with other societies. Perhaps 
their mode of life, in its form and habit, was not very 
unlike the TInitas Fratrum, or the modern Methodists."* 

The Methodist ministry, under which these effects are 
produced, has, from the beginning, unquestionably been 
sanctioned by the divine influence and blessing. The 
success of Mr. Wesley's preaching has been attributed to 
his simple and effective eloquence, gently touching the 
springs of human action ; and to the interesting objects 
by which he was often surrounded, especially when ad- 
dressing multitudes in the open air. But those who thus 
speak forget that the same effects were produced under 
the preaching of other men, many of whom were " rude in 
speech ;" and that they were also produced in plain cha- 
pels, in barns, in private houses, and in the entire ab- 
sence of those objects which are assumed to possess a 
charm so powerful. It should be observed, too, that the 
preaching in question was not formed according to the 
rules of art, like that of the French orators who figured in 
the court of Louis XIV. It was not characterized by 
pretty and elegant turns of thought; nor was it generally 
addressed to persons of poetic and tender sensibilities ; but 
more frequently to men who were brutally ignorant, and 
diabolically wicked. Yet many of these were converted 
from the error of their way. Theirs was not a sentimental 
conversion, but a thorough renewal of their nature. They 
were turned from the love and practice of sin to both 
inward and outward holiness ; and the change was perma- 



* Evidences of Religion, Part First, chap. i. 



196 



THE CENTENARY OF 



nent. From the time of their conversion till their spirits 
returned to God, their deportment was blameless, and their 
spirit devout, cheerful, and benevolent. 

Here again, according to the Bible, (and its teaching on 
this subject is confirmed by true philosophy,) the hand of 
God is to be acknowledged. Even apostolical preaching, 
without the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, must 
have been powerless and ineffectual. M I have planted," 
says St. Paul, " and Apollos watered but the apostle, 
with all his acquired learning and inspired theology, and 
Apollos, eloquent as he was, and mighty in the Scriptures, 
must both have laboured in vain, had no supernatural 
agency been put forth. "God gave the increase. So 
then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that 
watereth; but God that giveththe increase," 1 Cor. iii, 6,7. 
Without him talents of the highest order may be put in 
requisition ; philosophy, learning, fancy, argument, taste, 
may put forth all their energies ; yet the callous and de- 
praved heart of fallen man will not surrender itself to 
Christ. Men are saved only when the gospel comes to 
them " not in word only, but in power, and in the Holy 
Ghost, and in much assurance," 1 Thess. i, 5. Through- 
out the New Testament, therefore, the success of the 
Christian ministry is assumed to be a subject of prayer 
to the God of all grace. For when Christ is not present, 
in the power of his Spirit, the demon of human depravity 
sets the preacher at defiance. " The carnal mind," which 
" is enmity against God," will never yield to any power 
less than divine. The Wesleys and their fellow-labourers 
were eminently men of prayer. They called incessantly 
upon God, that he would not only touch their lips with 
fire, but apply the truths of his law and gospel to the un- 
derstandings and consciences of their hearers ; and the 
result is matter of history. The promised sign was given. 
Thousands of men, proverbially profligate and wicked, 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



197 



were undeniably made partakers of the divine nature ; 
and wherever the " clean heart" and the " right spirit" are 
found, they exist as the direct " creation" of God, Psalm 
li. 10. 

That a great improvement has taken place in the Esta- 
blished Church of this country is a fact which no candid 
observer can deny, and in which every good man must 
rejoice. There has been within her pale a great increase 
of spiritual religion, and of active, laborious zeal. The 
efforts of Churchmen in providing evangelical instruction 
in neglected districts at home, in the distribution of the 
holy Scriptures, in extending the benefits of education, 
and in sending missionaries to the heathen, exceed those 
of former times beyond all comparison. Several of her 
children delight to contemplate this improved state of 
things as a benefit which has been conferred upon her 
altogether independent of Methodism, and especially of 
Wesleyan Methodism. Far be it from us to say any 
thing on this subject that can be considered justly offensive 
to any sincere and upright Churchman who is sensitive 
concerning his church's honour. The facts of the case, 
however, should be stated, that disinterested observers 
may form their own judgment on the question. We think 
it undeniable, 1 . That this revival of spiritual religion did 
not appear in the Church till the voices of the Wesleys 
and Mr. Whitefield had been heard in almost every part 
of the land, and the influence of their labours was strongly 
felt. 2. That several of the more devout, zealous, and 
influential of the clergy, during the last century, were 
avowedly in close connection with the Wesleys. Such 
were Piers and Perronet in Kent ; Grimshaw in the west 
of Yorkshire ; Sellon in Leicestershire ; Fletcher in 
Madeley ; and Crosse in Bradford. Mr. Crosse even 
proposed to resign his vicarage, and become a Methodist 
preacher ; and for one year his name actually stood on 



198 



THE CENTENARY OF 



the Minutes of Conference. He was induced to abandon 
his design by the advice of Dr. Coke and of some other 
Methodist preachers, who thought that he might more 
effectually serve the cause of Christ in the Church than 
in the Methodist connection. Mr. Berridge, and some 
others of the clergy, stood in nearly the same relation to 
Mr. Whitefield, in whose tabernacles they not unfrequently 
preached. 3. Several others of the more pious and spi- 
ritual of the clergy were for many years the personal 
friends of the two Wesleys. Though some of them dis- 
approved of the anti-Calvinistic theology of the Wesleys, 
and of the alleged irregularities of Methodism, yet they 
either corresponded with the two brothers, invited them 
to preach in their churches, or had frequent interviews 
with them, and were unquestionably affected and stimu- 
lated by their spirit and proceedings. This was the case 
with Walker and Thompson in Cornwall; Vivian in 
Devonshire ; Yenn in Huddersfield ; Crooke in Leeds 
and Hunslet ; Hervey in Northamptonshire ; Jones in 
South wark ; Stillingfleet in Hotham ; Jesse in the east 
of Yorkshire ; Easterbrook in Bristol; Simpson in Mac- 
clesfield ; and many others. 4. Within the last fifty 
years many clergymen, of the character in question, have 
been members of Wesleyan families in which they received 
their early religious light and impressions. Others of 
them were educated by Lady Huntingdon, at her College 
of Trevecka, and were first made acquainted with divine 
truth in connection with what is called Calvinistic Method- 
ism. 5. Wesleyan Methodism has greatly contributed to 
raise the tone of public feeling on the subject of religion, 
so as to induce greater circumspection in the clerical cha- 
racter than was previously either expected or required. 
Irregularities which were formerly tolerated in the minis- 
ters of religion, as matters of course, would now become 
subjects of general complaint and animadversion. The 



WESLEY AN' METHODISM. 



199 



influence of the ministry is greatly increased by its supe- 
rior purity. 6. It will hardly be denied that, in some 
instances at least, among other motives Churchmen have 
been stimulated by the active and aggressive character of 
Methodism to the erection of new churches, the forma- 
tion of schools, and the establishment of Sunday evening 
lectures ; from all of which the church has been essen- 
tially benefited, and the national interests promoted. 
Whatever of spiritual good exists in any section of the 
universal church is produced by the gracious power of 
Him who worketh all in all ; and if the Holy Spirit has, 
in his merciful sovereignty, made Methodism, in any of 
its forms, a means of spiritual life and purity to the Estab- 
lishment of this country, there is neither candour nor 
piety in the denial of the fact.* 

That the Church of England has been of the greatest 
advantage to the Wesleyan connection, considered as a 
distinct community, is freely conceded. It was in the 
Church that the venerable founders of our societies were 
trained, and Mr. Wesley declares himself to have been 
more confirmed in the doctrine of salvation by faith by 
reading the homilies, than by any other means. Sellon 
and Fletcher, the ablest defenders of the Wesleyan 
theology against the attacks which were made upon it 
during the last century, were both clergymen. When the 
early Methodist preachers went through the land, declaring 
the necessity of inward religion, as distinguished from 
mere forms of worship and from moral duties, they found 
the way so far made ready for them by the Church, that 
an appeal to the liturgy, articles, and homilies, was almost 

* " No fear of misrepresentation, or of obloquy, shall ever deter 
me from declaring my belief that Wesley and Whitefield were 
chosen instruments of Providence, for giving a great impulse to re. 
ligious feeling when it was needed most." — Southet/s Colloquies, 
vol. i. p. 383. 



200 



THE CENTENARY OF 



everywhere responded to; and a nominal Christianity pre- 
pared the way for that " kingdom" which " is not meat and 
drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy 
Ghost." The incomparable liturgy of the Established 
Church is regularly used in many of the Wesleyan chapels 
in England, and in all the mission chapels in the West In- 
dies. Translations of it have been made by Wesleyan 
missionaries into various languages, for the use of their 
congregations, especially in the East. It is also always 
used in the administration of the Lord's supper, both at 
home and abroad. At the same time the sanctified learn- 
ing which is displayed in the profound and orthodox writ- 
ings of the divines of the Church of England has ever 
been of the greatest benefit to the Wesleyan body, as it 
has to the more serious and religious part of the commu- 
nity in general. This is a debt which can never be repaid. 
The writings of Churchmen in opposition to infidelity, 
popery, and the Arian and Socinian heresies, are beyond 
all praise. 

Subsequently to the rise of Methodism there was also 
a revival of evangelical religion among the dissenters, 
toward which the ministry of Mr. Whitefleld contributed 
more directly than that of the two Wesleys. Yet many 
of the dissenting ministers, and not a few private members 
of their churches, have either belonged to Wesleyan fami- 
lies, or at one period of their lives were connected with 
the Wesleyan societies. Indirectly, therefore, as in the 
case of the Established Church, the dissenters are under 
considerable obligations to the labours of John Wesley, 
strongly as some of them may express their dislike for 
his theology, and his views of ecclesiastical order. The 
cold and chilling Arianism which was introduced into the 
dissenting churches at the beginning of the last century, 
led to the Socinianism of Taylor, Priestly, and Belsham ; 
but other churches were formed, in almost all the large 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



201 



towns of the kingdom, which not only maintain all the pe- 
culiarities of revealed truth, but exert a salutary influence 
upon society, and manifest a most exemplary zeal in the 
cause of Christian missions. 

That Wesleyan Methodism has been of great advantage 
to the British nation, few persons, it is presumed, who are 
competently informed on the subject, will deny. " Sin is 
a reproach to any people ;" as Well as the sure forerunner 
of confusion and ruin. Even law is comparatively power- 
less, however righteous it may be in principle, unless the 
consciences of the people are duly impressed with the 
obligations of religion and morality. When masters are 
tyrannical, and servants are perfidious ; when husbands 
and wives are faithless to each other ; when governors are 
careless of the public weal, and subjects are impatient of 
all restraint ; when the rich are selfish and overbearing, 
and the poor are envious and dishonest ; when, in the va- 
rious relations of life, tradesmen and merchants are re- 
gardless of justice and truth ; when parents are neglectful 
of their children's welfare, and children despise and dis- 
obey their parents ; the people are, by a just retribution 
of Providence, ripe for destruction : and, though it may 
for a season be delayed, yet its approach is swift and cer- 
tain. Misery, in all its forms, personal, domestic, and na- 
tional, is the inevitable fruit of abounding profligacy and 
wickedness. The dissolution of the great empires of an- 
tiquity is a fearful comment upon this fact. 

To ascertain the amount of benefit which Great Britain 
has derived from Methodism, it will be requisite to advert 
to the events of the last century. At the beginning of 
that period, according to the testimony of unexceptionable 
witnesses, the elements of evil existed in frightful magni- 
tude, and were in full operation. The higher classes were 
many of them infidel, and the poor were uneducated, igno- 
9* 



202 



THE CENTENARY OF 



rant, and grossly immoral.* The influence of religion, to 
a great extent, was withdrawn ; and, as the unavoidable 
consequence, sin prevailed in almost every diversity of 
form ; for religion is the only basis of sound morality, and 
the only effectual restraint upon the passions and appetites 
of mankind. If men neither fear nor love God, it is vain 
to expect from them a faithful attention to the duties of life ; 
for conscience has lost its power. 

In the English nation, thus circumstanced, a vast in- 
crease of population was about to take place. Wealth, 
with all its incentives to luxury and indulgence, was about 
to be everywhere diffused. The factory system, congre- 
gating together large masses of people of both sexes, and 
placing them together in a heated atmosphere, was soon to 
be extensively introduced. The American war of inde- 
pendence, producing temporary scarcity and want, and in- 
viting attention to the republican form of government, was 
at no great distance. Then followed the French revolution, 
with its infidel democracy, and godless theories of social 
order, inflaming the popular mind and endangering every 

* " It was a time of great degeneracy in very many important 
points. The manners of high life were not indeed so absolutely 
profligate as in the infamous days of Charles II., but there was a 
greater degree of general coarseness. Drunkenness had become as 
much a national vice among the gentry, as it was among the Ger- 
mans. The learning which the universities imparted was still sound 
and orthodox, — but there was little of it ; and, considering them as 
schools of morals, the course of life there was better adapted to gra- 
duate young men in the brutalizing habits of the society wherewith 
they were soon to mingle, than to qualify them for reforming it. 
The church, therefore, was . ill supplied with ministers ; its higher 
preferments were bestowed with more reference to political con- 
nections than to individual desert ; and there never was less religious 
feeling, either within Establishment or without, than when Wesley 
blew his trumpet, and awakened those who slept." — Southey's Col. 
loquiesy vol, i. pp. 255, 256. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



203 



national institution. Had this new state of things com- 
menced while the elements of evil to which we have just 
adverted, were in full and unrestrained operation, who can 
calculate the consequences ? By the great mercy of God 
there was religious principle in the country to resist the 
evils which wealth, revolution, and war were pouring forth 
in one mighty tide ; but it was religious principle which, 
to a considerable extent, was consequent upon the rise of 
Methodism. What other agencies might have been called 
out in the various emergencies to counteract the threaten- 
-ing evils, and secure the public welfare, had that form of 
Christianity which is denominated Methodism never ap- 
peared, we know not ; nor does it become us to speculate 
upon such a subject. What God in his providence has 
done, we know; what he might have done, we know not. 
In times of unexampled peril and excitement, — times 
which it is fearful even to think upon, — it pleased God to 
preserve this country in unimpaired strength by means of 
religious principle ; and that principle, in a thousand in- 
stances, was created by the labours of the W T esleys, and 
in many others it was greatly raised and invigorated by the 
same means. 

A more loyal man than John Wesley never existed. 
His loyalty was not a sentiment, or a prejudice, but a prin- 
ciple. It w r as identified with his Christianity. He suc- 
ceeded in impressing the same character upon the societies 
that acknowledge hitn as their founder. Amidst the dis- 
affection which was produced by the French revolution, 
and the pinchings of the protracted war, as well as under 
the terrors of the rampant radicalism of a later period, the 
loyalty of the Methodist body was steadily maintained ; as 
is known to every one who lived in those times, or has read 
the official documents of the connection. 

The following is an extract from the address of the 
conference to the societies, in the year 1819, published 



204 



THE CENTENARY OP 



amidst the distress, the riots, and the disloyalty of that ca- 
lamitous period : — " As many of you, to whom this mea- 
sure of national suffering has been appointed, reside in 
places where attempts are making, by ' unreasonable and 
wicked men,' to render the privations of the poor the instru- 
ments of their own designs against the peace and the 
government of our beloved country, we are affectionately 
anxious to guard all of you against being led astray from 
your civil and religious duties by their dangerous artifices. 
Remember you are Christians, and are called by your pro- 
fession to exemplify the power and influence of religion by 
your patience in suffering, and by ' living peaceably with 
all men.' Remember that you belong to a religious 
society, which has, from the beginning, explicitly recog- 
nised as high and essential parts of Christian duty, to 
' fear God and honour the king ; to submit to magistrates 
for conscience' sake, and not to speak evil of dignities.' 
You are surrounded with persons to whom these duties are 
objects of contempt and ridicule. Show your regard for 
them, because they are the doctrines of your Saviour. 
Abhor those publications in which they are assailed, along 
with every other doctrine of your holy religion : and judge 
of the spirit and objects of those who would deceive you 
into political parties and associations, by the vices of their 
lives, and the infidel malignity of their words and writings. 
4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean ?' 

" Be it your care, beloved, who are exposed to this trial, 
to serve God in all good conscience ; to preserve your 
minds from political agitations ; to follow your occupations 
and duties in life, in peaceful seclusion from all strife and 
tumults : and God will, in his own time, appear by his 
providence to your relief. We trust our country to his 
gracious favour, and doubt not that he will speak good con- 
cerning us."* 

* Minutes of Conference, vol. v, pp. 62, 63. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



205 



" Righteousness exalteth a nation ;" and that righteous- 
ness is one of the direct fruits of the revival of religion, 
of which the two Wesleys were among the principal in- 
struments, is matter of public notoriety. They are not 
Wesleyan Methodists whose names fill the criminal calen- 
dars at our assizes, that figure in the police reports, that 
crowd the hulks, and are sent to our penal settlements. 
Cornwall, once a land of smugglers and " wreckers," and 
the terror of seamen, where Methodism has perhaps been 
embraced by a larger proportion of the community than 
in any other county, is now pronounced the most moral 
part of England. There is less crime in Cornwall, con- 
sidering the number of the people, than in any other dis- 
trict of the land. And this is not a peculiar case. 
Wherever Wesleyan Methodism prevails it secures the 
practice of a pure morality ; and that, not through the op- 
eration of motives derived from expediency, or selfishness, 
but by implanting in the hearts of the people the fear and 
love of God, and placing them under the control of a holy 
and salutary discipline. 

The effects of the Wesleyan doctrine and order upon 
families and individuals are equally beneficial. The peo- 
ple, who receive this teaching, are impressed with the 
truth, that " neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor 
uncircumcision, but a new creature ;" and, when this 
truth is realized, as it is in every penitent believer, " old 
things are passed away, and all things are become new." 
Ungodly companions and worldly amusements please no 
longer. The public house and the noisy hilarity of pro- 
fane men have no charms for a regenerated mind. Nothing 
is prized but as it comes from God, and leads to him. 
The domestic relations are all sanctified. The husband 
and the wife, the parents and the children, are joined 
together by a tie far more tender, strong, and enduring, 
than that of nature. In heaven they neither marry nor 



206 



THE CENTENARY OF 



are given in marriage ; but the children of God are there 
indissolubly one in him for ever. Hence their present in- 
tercourse with each other is carried on with a reference to 
their state of final blessedness. They read together, with 
reverent attention, God's inspired word. They pray 
together daily. The sabbath, with its sacred joys and 
duties, is indeed holy and honourable ; especially because 
of the opportunities which it brings for spiritual conversa- 
tion, and for attendance upon the ordinances of God's 
house. Thousands of such families are, at this day, con- 
nected with the Wesleyan societies. Many of them are 
poor. Their clothing is mean, and their fare scanty. 
They know nothing of the elegances and refinements of 
life. With light and amusing literature they have little 
acquaintance. But they have the Bible, the incomparable 
hymns of the Wesleys with a few other well read books 
of spiritual instruction. The prosperity of religion at 
home, and the details of missionary labour and success, 
inspire them with grateful emotion. The world knows 
them not, but they are known unto the Lord. When 
death parts them asunder, they sorrow not like those who 
have no hope, but meekly separate, in compliance with the 
Lord's will, under the cheerful assurance of again meeting 
in a land where there is neither death, nor grief, nor pain. 
The breaking up of families has always been felt as one 
of the most bitter of those afflictions to which human na- 
ture is subjected on account of sin. The religion, there- 
fore, which links them together in an eternal union, and 
thus, in fact, prevents their hearts from being rent asunder, 
even by death, is a greater blessing than words can 
express. 

" Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise 
of the life that now is, and of that also which is to come." 
Never, perhaps, was this Scriptural declaration more 
strikingly illustrated than it has often been in the Wesleyan 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



207 



connection. The dormant mental powers of many a young 
man have been effectually roused by the force of his re- 
ligious convictions ; and the development of those powers 
has excited the surprise of all who were previously ac- 
quainted with him. The personal godliness of which he 
has become a partaker, has restrained him from evil com- 
pany, from intemperance and from every other kind of 
vice ; and has invested him with a character of sobriety, 
industry, and uprightness. These have commanded con- 
fidence and placed him first in offices of trust and respon- 
sibility, and then supplied him with the means of acquiring 
property, and of being a blessing to his whole neighbour- 
hood. Some of the most substantial and honourable men 
of business in England have been members of the Wes- 
leyan community ; and their success in life hinged entirely 
upon those qualities which their religion supplied. 

But it is with an especial reference to the spiritual 
interests of mankind that Methodism will ever be con- 
sidered. And here we find matter of sincere congratu- 
lation. Since the commencement of this work, multitudes, 
far beyond what many persons imagine, have, by God's 
blessing upon the Wesleyan doctrine and order, been not 
only reformed, and made decent and moral, but effectually 
turned to God through Christ. Their understandings have 
been enlightened by divine truth and grace ; their con- 
sciences purged from dead works by an application of the 
blood of Christ ; their hearts regenerated and sanctified ; 
and their conduct rendered blameless and useful. They 
have become examples of holiness and devotion ; and 
have lived the life of faith, and of happy intercourse with 
God. Piety has, to them, been a source of pure and 
elevated enjoyment under all the trials and sorrows of their 
earthly pilgrimage. 

If there is a period when the true characters of men 
appear, it is that in which they anticipate a speedy re- 



208 



THE CENTENARY OF 



moval into the world of spirits, and to "reap," through 
everlasting ages, according as they have " sown" during 
the present life. The strength of their attachment to 
earthly objects, their confidence in God, and submission 
to his will, are then put to the severest test. " A death- 
bed is a detecter of the heart." To endure the pains of 
mortal sickness and actual dissolution, and the still se- 
verer pains of separation from connections the most tender 
and endeared, and to enter upon an untried and endless 
state of existence, — not with the dogged firmness of a 
stoic, nor the profane and unnatural indifference of an 
infidel, but with calm resignation, with penitent, but un- 
faltering confidence in the sacrifice, the power, the love, 
and the faithfulness of Christ, and in joyful hope of a 
blessed immortality through him, — is an object of the 
highest interest and importance; and one in which the 
power of Christianity was most blessedly seen in the 
early ages of the church. In this, too, we think the na- 
ture and value of that form of Christianity to which the 
name of " Methodism" is given, are strikingly seen. Some 
of the holiest and most sublime scenes the writer of these 
pages has ever witnessed, or ever expects to witness on 
this side of eternity, have been in the dying chambers of 
persons belonging to the Wesleyan body : some of them 
poor and uneducated, except in religion; and others of 
them surrounded by every means of personal indulgence, 
and all the enjoyments of domestic life. The periodicals, 
and other publications of the connection, have, from the 
beginning, borne ample testimony on this subject. To 
those who are enduring the pangs of bereavement, the 
consolation arising from the remembrance of the unfeigned 
piety and peaceful end of their departed friends, is of the 
most solid and durable kind, and mightily alleviates the 
anguish of separation. They weep; for "nature unre- 
proved" may drop her tears at the remembrance of the 



WESLEYANf METHODISM. 



209 



pious dead ; but their tears of sorrow for those that sleep 
in Jesus are also tears of gratitude, of joy, and of hope. 

How many human spirits are now in the heavenly para- 
dise, brought thither by God's blessing upon the ministry 
of the Wesleys, and upon the plans which they adopted 
and sanctioned ; and how many, in times to come, will 
be brought thither in connection with those plans ; are 
questions on which we have no right to speculate. They 
are among the " secret things" which " belong unto the 
Lord our God." They will, however, be disclosed when 
the almighty Judge shall send forth his angels with the 
great sound of a trumpet, to gather together his elect from 
the four winds of heaven ; and when pardoned and sanc- 
tified men shall come from the 1 east, and from the west, 
and from the north, and from the south, and shall sit down 
with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of 
Christ and of God. 

There are persons who can see nothing in the ministry 
and success of the Wesleys, and of their fellow-labourers 
and successors, but unmixed and inexcusable evil. With 
such persons, at present, we will enter into no dispute. 
We think that the conversion of men from misery and sin 
to holiness and peace, and the rescuing of myriads of 
deathless spirits from perdition, of greater moment than 
the maintenance of any mere system of church order what- 
ever. Those who think otherwise are welcome to their 
own opinion. It is one which we are not inclined to 
adopt. To the members of the Wesleyan societies these 
pages are principally addressed ; and we think that, on a 
review of the rise, progress, and present state of our com- 
munity, at the conclusion of this, the first century of our 
existence, united and grateful thanksgiving to God will be 
acknowledged as an appropriate, and, indeed, imperative 
duty. In the autumn of the year 1839 the Centenary of 
Methodism will be celebrated ; as it will then be just one 



210 



THE CENTEXARY OF 



hundred years since Mr. Wesley formed the first of the 
united societies. 

God forbid that in this celebration we should glory in 
man. If we do, we shall grieve the Holy Spirit, and 
bring a blight upon our work. God will " spread dung 
upon our faces," and spurn both us and our unhallowed 
services. He is jealous of his honour; and the glory 
which belongs to him he will not share with any other 
being, either in earth or heaven. The view of Method- 
istical agency and success which is presented in these 
pages is not intended to inspire pride and vain glory, but 
to show the nature and extent of the benefit for which our 
thanks ought to be presented to the God of all grace. The 
Wesleys, and their noble companion in evangelical labour, 
Mr. Whitefield, were indeed extraordinary men ; but they 
were not men casually brought into existence, and whose 
powers were casually called forth by the circumstances 
of the times, as a profane and godless philosophy would 
insinuate. They were raised up by God, as the instru- 
ments of his mercy to the world. The peculiar talents 
with which they were endued were his gift. Their piety, 
their zeal for the divine glory, their yearning pity for 
ignorant and wicked men, their meek endurance of oppo- 
sition, and their patience in toil and suffering, were all the 
effects of his holy inspiration. The whole of their suc- 
cess in turning men to Christ depended upon the exertion 
of the divine power ; for no man can come to Christ unless 
he be drawn by the Father. The good that was in them 
was all of God; and whatever was in them of weakness, 
infirmity, error, and sin, was of themselves. While, there- 
fore, we think upon our fathers in this work, — of the 
generations that have entered into rest through their la- 
bours, — of the tens of thousands, in different parts of the 
world, who are following in the same path, — of the various 
agencies which are now employed to extend and perpetu- 



v 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



211 



ate this work, — and of the cheering tokens of spiritual 
prosperity which we still witness, — let us beware of con- 
fining our attention to second causes. The hand of God 
is in all this ; and the entire glory must be given to his 
infinite goodness. He is " great in counsel, and mighty 
in work." 

The manner in which this work has been carried on 
is worthy of especial observation. Luther gave it as his 
opinion, that revivals of religion rarely last more than one 
generation, or about thirty years. This has continued 
more than thrice that period, and presents no signs of 
general decay. When the two Wesleys were unable to 
meet the wants of the neglected population of this king- 
dom, and their brethren in the ministry almost every- 
where refused to unite with them, it pleased God to raise 
up from among their own spiritual children the assistance 
that was needed. Nor has there ever been wanting, 
from that period to the present time, men suitably quali- 
fied to carry on this work in all its departments. Though 
no one man could supply the place of Mr. Wesley, yet 
several have been raised up to exemplify his principles, 
and carry out his plans into practical effect. Some of 
them have been particularly suited to labour in the mis- 
sion field ; others, to extend the work at home ; and others 
again, to give a right direction and character to the whole. 
Who that knows the history of the connection can forbear 
to thank God for the manly sense, the sound discretion, 
the unbending integrity, the deep religious experience, 
the governing wisdom of Alexander Mather? the godly 
sincerity, the unaffected piety, the edifying and spiritual 
ministry of John Pawson ? the frank and generous spirit, 
the charming and effective eloquence of Samuel Bradburn ? 
the sound learning, the theological and biblical erudition, 
the powerful, awakening, instructive ministry of Joseph 
Benson ? the unwearied diligence and application, the 







2i2 



THE CENTENARY OF 



varied scholarship, the simple, argumentative, and ener- 
getic preaching of Adam Clarke ? the comprehensive 
intellect, the sublime conceptions, the rich and vigorous 
imagination, the unwearied missionary zeal, the personal 
sanctity of Richard Watson ? These eminent men, with 
their equally devout and faithful, but less distinguished, 
brethren, devoted all their talents and influence to this 
work ; and their labour has not been in vain in the Lord. 
The Christians at Jerusalem * glorified God in" St. Paul ; 
and we ought to follow their example with respect to the 
men whom he now qualifies to explain, enforce, and defend 
his truth, and especially those in the benefits of whose 
ministry we ourselves participate. 

It is not an ordinary degree of gratitude that will suffice 
in this case. The benefits to be acknowledged are incal- 
culably numerous, and momentous beyond all thought. 
Multitudes of people have been saved from sin and wrath. 
In several instances the elder branches of our families, 
our revered fathers and mothers, as well as we ourselves, 
have been of the number ; and it will be well for us indi- 
vidually to inquire, in the fear and in the presence of God, 
what, in all probability, would have been our situation, 
had it not been for that teaching by which we were turned 
from " darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto 
God ;" as well as for the discipline under which we have 
been placed, and the spiritual helps with which we have 
been favoured, as members of the Wesleyan society. 
That we might have been converted and saved by other 
means is true ; but it is equally true that we were not. 
God, in the wise dispensations of his providence and 
grace, otherwise determined ; and for the means by which 
he was pleased to bring us to himself, our grateful offer- 
ings are justly due. " We have heard with our ears, and 
our fathers have declared unto us, the noble works which 
he did in their days, and in the old time before them." 



WESLEYAN* METHODISM. 213 



We ourselves have witnessed the same " works" in our 
own families and neighbourhoods, and have realized his 
operations in our own hearts. On the occasion, then, of 
the happy centenary which we are about to celebrate, 
while families and individuals shed tears of gratitude be- 
fore the Lord, and present their thanksgivings to him 
" apart," let there be also in every place " a holy convo- 
cation to the Lord." Let " young men and maidens, old 
men and children, enter into his gates with thanksgiving, 
and into his courts with praise." Let worldly business 
for the day be suspended, and nothing be thought of nor 
talked about but God, and his works of mercy. Let no 
heart remain unaffected, but every breast heave with holy 
emotion ; and the voices of the assembled worshippers be 
lifted up like the noise of many waters. " Let the people 
praise thee, O God ; yea, let all the people praise thee." 
Let self be everywhere annihilated, " and the Lord alone 
exalted." 

" Jesus, the Conqueror, reigns, 

In glorious strength array'd, 
His kingdom over all maintains, 

And bids the earth be glad : 
Ye sons of men, rejoice 

In Jesus' mighty love ; 
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice, 

To Him who rules above. 

Extol his kingly power ; 

Kiss th* exalted Son, 
Who died, and lives to die no more, 

High on his Father's throne : 
Our advocate with God, 

He undertakes our cause, 
And spreads through all the earth abroad 

The victory of his cross." 

It is earnestly to be hoped that nothing of unhallowed 
exclusiveness, or bigotry, will be indulged on this joyful 



214 



THE CENTENARY OF 



occasion. Myriads of people in the Established Church 
of this country, and among the various classes of evan- 
gelical dissenters, as well as in other lands, who " follow 
not with us," are nevertheless partakers with us of like 
" precious faith" as that by which we are saved from sin ; 
and it is a part of our Christianity to cherish a spirit of 
universal love, and to hold communion with the true 
Church of God, especially by prayer for them, and thanks- 
givings on their account. Ill would it become the spiritual 
children of John and Charles Wesley, two as truly catho- 
lic men as ever existed, to raise the ungodly and fanatical 
cry, " The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the 
temple of the Lord are we !" to the exclusion of the other 
members of the great Christian family, in the midst of whom 
our Saviour dwells and walks. " Grace be with all them that 
love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity." November 4th, 
1744, when the Wesleyans, Moravians, and Calvinistic 
Methodists had become so many distinct bodies, they held 
a " general love-feast" at the Tabernacle in London, when 
they unitedly sung the following " Confession of Faith," 
composed unquestionably by Mr. Charles Wesley.* It is 
a fine specimen of his charity and sanctified genius, and 
will not be at all inappropriate to the centenary services, 
especially where other classes of Christians choose to 
unite with us. 

" O Lord, thou art my God ; I will exalt thee, I will 
praise thy name ; for thou hast done wonderful things ; 
thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth," Isa. xxv, 1. 

" Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach 
it the children of Israel : put it in their mouths, that this 
song may be a witness for me against the children of Is- 
rael. For when I shall have brought them into the land 
which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk 



* It was published at the time in the form of a handbill. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



213 



and honey ; and they shall have eaten and filled them- 
selves, and waxen fat ; then will they turn unto other gods, 
and serve them, and provoke me, and break my covenant. 
And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles 
are befallen them, that this song shall testify against them 
as a witness ; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths 
of their seed : for I know their imagination which they go 
about, even now, before I have brought them into the land 
which I sware," Deut. xxxi, 19-21. 

" The doctrine of our dying Lord, 

The faith he on Mount Calvary seal'd, 

We sign; and every steadfast word 
Within his testament reveal' d 

We firm believe ; and curse we they* 

Who add thereto, or take away. 

And now before this awful crowd 

Of brethren militant on earth ! 
Before the firstborn church of God ! 

We hearty own the second birth : 
We constantly consent to this, — 
Who hath not Christ is none of his. 

Also to blood we this maintain, 

That none are righteous, no, not one, 

But those for whom the Lamb was slain, 
Who 're justified by faith alone : 

And whoso in his name believes 

Himself and all Christ hath receives. 

Our works and merits we disclaim, 

We trample on our righteousness; 
Our holiest actions we condemn, 

As dung and dross ; and this confess, 
They are but sand ; who builds thereon 
Denies and slights the Corner Stone. 

No other doctrine dare we hear, 
But Christ alone our Saviour is ; 

• Probably a misprint for "cursed be they." 



216 



THE CENTENARY OF 



To all besides we stop our ear, 

And shun as dangerous heresies : 
This truth to death we will proclaim, — 
There is no Saviour but the Lamb ! 

He is the only Lord and God ! 

The fulness of the Three in One ! 
His name, death, righteousness, and blood 

Shall be our glory, this alone : 
His Godhead and his death shall be 
Our song to all eternity. 

On him we venture all we have, 

Our bodies, souls, and spirits too ; 
None will we ask besides to save, 

Naught but the Saviour will we know : 
This we subscribe with heart and hand, 
Resolved through grace by this to stand. 

This now, with heaven's resplendent host, 
We echo through the church's bounds ; 

And 'midst the heathen make our boast 
Of our Redeemer's blood and wounds : 

And loud like many waters join 

To shout the Lamb, the Man Divine ! 

By this our mark will we be known 
In heaven, and in the earth abroad, — 

That every doctrine we disown, 
And every faith, and every god ; 

But Christ Immanuel, and that faith 

Which apprehends his blood and death.** 

It is recommended that the poor members of the Me- 
thodist societies should, on this festive occasion, receive 
of the bounty of the more affluent ; and that the same fa- 
vour should be extended to Sunday scholars, and other 
children belonging to our schools. Thus Ezra directed 
the Jews, when they rejoiced at the reading of the law, 
to " send portions unto them for whom nothing was pre- 
pared," as an expression of thanksgiving to God. When 
these intelligent children inquire, " What mean ye by this 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



217 



service V let their teachers and parents tell them, that 
one hundred years ago, when ignorance and sin over- 
spread this land, it pleased God to raise up a small num- 
ber of good and faithful men, who went through the coun- 
try, warning the people, and calling them to repentance ; 
that thousands took the warning ; that, as the consequence 
of the revival of religion which thus began, England is 
now filled with Bibles, and Sunday schools, and places 
of worship ; that multitudes of people have died in the 
Lord, and gone to heaven, since this work was com- 
menced ; and that, on the other side of the world, where 
missionaries are labouring, children are assembled in 
schools by thousands, and old people, with spectacles, are 
learning to read the Scriptures. Thus let these " little 
ones" be invited to join in the hymn of praise, and cry 
hosanna to him who is at once David's Son and David's 
Lord. 

The truest respect that can be shown to the memory 
of the Wesleys is to imitate their piety and zeal, and thus 
to follow them as they followed Christ. While celebrat- 
ing the intended centenary, we shall be unavoidably led 
to think of the manner in which they preached, and prayed, 
and strove to save souls from death, and of the motives 
and feelings by which they were actuated in their self- 
denying and exhausting labours ; and happy will it be if 
we should catch the same spirit. And indeed why should 
we not ? They were made what they were by the anoint- 
ing of the Holy One which was upon them ; and the same 
prayer of faith will bring upon us an unction equally rich 
and sanctifying. The present times are somewhat differ- 
ent from those in which these men of God lived : but the 
duties of both are substantially the same ; and there never 
was a period when there was a greater need of that plain, 
faithful, and rousing ministry, of which the Wesleys set 
the example, than there is at this day. 

10 



218 



THE CENTENARY OF 



True evangelical preaching is not to be attained by a 
superficial acquaintance with the mere elements of divine 
truth, nor does it consist in the endless repetition of fa- 
vourite phrases ; but in a sound and faithful exposition of 
God's own word, and an application of it to the under- 
standings and hearts of the people. Greatly is this wanted. 
Mammon is still the god of a large proportion of our men 
of business. It cannot, perhaps, be said that a godless phi- 
losophy is a leading characteristic of our literary and 
scientific men ; but in a majority of cases philosophy is 
separated from revealed truth. Never was so much atten- 
tion paid to " natural theology ;" but some of the men who 
make the greatest noise on this subject, by their silence 
concerning the Bible, which contains the principles of all 
that is really valuable in their speculations, too strongly 
intimate that they have no faith in that holy and inspired 
book. Mighty efforts are now made, especially by means 
of the press, to circulate what is called " useful know- 
ledge ;" but in the publications which are sent forth 
avowedly for this purpose, the doctrine of " Christ cruci- 
fied" is not found. This is a sufficiently obvious intimation 
that there is, in the estimation of the parties concerned, 
no real " use" in this " knowledge," even though St. Paul 
prized it above every other, and preached it to both Jew 
and Gentile, as the most important of all acquirements. 

In the manufacturing districts, and some of the large 
provincial towns, infidelity, in a form more malignant and 
diabolical than it ever previously assumed in England, is 
making rapid progress. Every effort is tried, not only to 
alienate the popular mind from all faith in the revelation 
which God has made, but to establish principles subver- 
sive of all morality, and of all domestic and social order. 
The rights of property, and the perpetuity of the marriage 
relation, are peremptorily denied, and the worst passions 
of our fallen nature are freed from all effectual restraint, 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 219 

by a denial of the moral government of God. Presump- 
tuous and bad men propose to introduce a new order of 
society without religion, without morality, without God. 
In many places they are labouring with all their might to 
corrupt the children and youth of our land, by instilling 
into their minds the worst principles, and by urging them 
to the actual perpetration of the foulest deeds. 

The attempts which are now made to revive the inte- 
rests of popery in Great Britain are more strenuous and 
extended than those of any former period since the Re- 
formation. Romish places of worship, and several of 
them imposing by the magnificence of their architecture, 
are rising in almost all parts of the land. Schools are 
opened, and gratuitous education is offered to Protestant 
children, for the purpose of training them in the old idola- 
try and superstition. In some parts of the country, priests 
are going from house to house, among the peasantry, to 
bring them back to the Church of Rome. In the first 
instance, they refuse to converse with the people on the 
subject of religion at all. They visit them merely as 
friends, and offer little accommodations to such as may be 
suffering from affliction. When suspicion is removed, and 
confidence in some degree gained, the peculiarities of 
popery are gradually introduced and recommended. Their 
" coming," as St. Paul expresses it, is " with all deceiva- 
bleness of unrighteousness." 

The most dangerous power with which the emissaries 
of Rome are at present armed, is that which they derive 
from those misleading publications entitled, " Tracts for 
the Times," which are sent forth by men who sustain the 
office of clergymen of the Church of England, but who, in 
fact, inculcate some of the worst errors of popery. Their 
doctrine is indeed " another gospel," different in its essen- 
tial principles from that which is laid down in the New 
Testament, and expounded in the writings of the reform- 



220 



THE CENTENARY OF 



ers, particularly in the homilies of the National Church 
These " Tracts," with other works of a similar kind, are 
exerting a most mischievous influence in various direc- 
tions, by holding up the corrupt and idolatrous Church of 
Rome to public confidence, as the true medium of minis- 
terial authority ; and, what is still worse, by describing 
the Christian salvation, not as consisting in justification 
and a new and holy nature, obtained by faith in the per- 
fect sacrifice of Christ, but as an indefinite and mysterious 
something which is received through the sacraments, ad- 
ministered by men, whether holy or wicked, who have 
received their appointment in a direct line from the apos- 
tles. Almost every Protestant community in Europe, not 
excepting even the Church of Scotland, these men con- 
demn and stigmatize by opprobrious names, simply because 
they do not hold diocesan episcopacy as a divine ordi- 
nance ; while they fawn upon the papal church, as their 
dear and beloved " sister," and the " holy home" of the 
Lord Jesus ; though the Scriptures declare her to be 
" the mother of harlots and abominations," whose skirts 
are steeped in " the blood of the saints." Upon their prin- 
ciples of " apostolical succession," the words of our Lord, 
" By their fruits ye shall know them," applied to false 
teachers, are not true. Teachers of religion, it seems, 
are not now to be judged of by their " fruits," but by the 
hands that have been laid upon them. Their knowledge, 
their sanctity, the effects of their ministrations, are of little 
or no account ; for the Romish prelates, many of whom 
were monsters of superstition, ungodliness, and cruelty, 
we are told, were true ministers of the Lord Jesus, and 
possessed the exclusive power of conveying the ministerial 
character. But upon these principles, what becomes of 
" the truth," which God is pleased to employ as the in- 
strument of human salvation ? According to the New Tes- 
tament, " faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



221 



of God," Rom. x, 17; men are regenerated, sanctified, 
and built up in faith and love, by means of " the truth," 
faithfully delivered in his name ; (James i, 18 ; 1 Peter i, 
23; Ephes. iv, 11, 12;) whereas these men, in effect, 
teach that the true regeneration is that of baptism, and 
that mankind are savingly united to Christ by the sacra- 
mental bread and wine, invested with supernatural efficacy 
to this end by the act of priestly consecration. 

These are not matters of mere opinion. They affect 
the very substance of Christianity. The man who teaches 
people that they are regenerated, and are therefore the 
children of God ; that they are one with Christ, and Christ 
one with them, because they have been baptized, belong 
to " the church," and receive the holy eucharist, while at 
the same time they are manifestly living in impenitence, 
unbelief, and sin, misleads them to their endless ruin. If 
the doctrine of the men in question be true, the Reforma- 
tion was a crime, and the best excuse that can be made for 
the martyrs of Smithfield is, that they were insane. But 
even this plea will not be allowed them. One of the 
writers of whom we are speaking, Mr. Froude, himself a 
young man, has had the audacity to speak in language of 
bitterness and contempt of even the wisest and best of 
that noble band of Protestants who, in the dark and hor- 
rible reign of Mary, studied, and preached, and wrote, and 
yielded their bodies to be burned, for the spiritual freedom 
of Englishmen and of Christendom. 

The boast of " apostolical succession," in the absence 
of true evangelical knowledge, of personal godliness, and 
of the divine and inward call to the Christian ministry, of 
which the ordination service of the Church of England 
speaks, is a vain delusion, if the New Testament is to de- 
cide the question. Our blessed Lord, and his evangelists 
and apostles, acknowledge no man as a true minister and 
pastor of souls who is destitute of the piety and gifts 



THE CENTENARY OF 



which qualify him to guide mankind in the way to eternal 
life. 

Under present circumstances, there is no room for the 
slightest relaxation of effort in any section of the Protest- 
ant community. It becomes the Wesleyan body especially, 
in common with ail who value the Reformation and the 
pure doctrines of Christianity, to redouble their exertions 
to preserve the people of England from the corrupt leaven 
and secular dominion of papal Rome. This may be done 
by a more general distribution of the Holy Scriptures ; for 
popery can never succeed among a people that pray,. and 
that study the Bible. It withers to the very roots under 
the direct rays of revealed truth. By preaching justifica- 
tion by faith, Luther shook the papal throne, and by the 
same means the Protestant churches of England have been 
raised into new life. Mr. Wesley did not attempt to guard 
the people against some particular errors and vices merely, 
but against these evils in every form ; and he secured this 
by instrumentally making them Christians. He declared 
to them the entire sinfulness of their nature, the fearful 
amount of their guilt, and their continual exposure to the 
miseries of hell. Having succeeded in convincing them 
of sin, and in bringing them to repentance, he directed 
them to Christ as their Saviour, and encouraged them to 
believe in him with the heart unto righteousness. Thus 
believing, the love of God was shed abroad in their hearts 
by the Holy Ghost which was given unto them. They 
were made both happy and holy; and while they held fast 
their confidence, it was in vain that the abetters of error 
tried to perplex them, by saying, " Lo, Christ is here !" or, 
" Lo, Christ is there !" They felt him to be within them, 
the hope of glory ; and hence arose their stability. 

With nothing short of this should we ever be contented. 
This will preserve the people effectually against the sor- 
ceries of Rome, come from what quarter they may ; and , 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



223 



above all, it will prepare them to die in peace, and to enter 
into heaven. 

The centenary will afford a suitable opportunity for the 
entire body of VVesleyan Methodists, both ministers and 
societies, to bind themselves afresh to God and to one 
another, in the steadfast purpose that they will more 
earnestly than ever aspire to the full possession of the mind 
that was in Christ, and labour to bring all around them 
into the same state of purity and spiritual enjoyment. 
Mr. Wesley declared himself to be sick of opinions, of 
idle controversies, and of the strife of words. He loathed 
this frothy food, and called for Christian godliness in its 
life and power. Neither with respect to himself, nor 
those that heard him, would he be satisfied with anything 
less than the holy, happy love of God and man, springing 
from a sense of God's mercy in Christ, and expressing 
itself in all piety, righteousness, benevolence, and truth. 
Those who live without this, fall short of the great end for 
which they were created and redeemed, and will through 
everlasting ages lament their sin and folly. " Let the dead 
bury their dead : go thou and preach the kingdom of God." 
The conversion of men to Christ must be the one object 
of our ministry, of our plans of education, of our mission- 
ary exertions, and, indeed, of all our proceedings. 

To strengthen the various institutions of Wesleyan 
Methodism, and thus render the efforts of the connection 
to spread true religion, both at home and abroad, still more 
extended and effective, it is intended to connect the de- 
votional acts of the centenary with pecuniary contributions ; 
the objects of which have been already published, and 
will be found in the appendix to this volume. The more 
wealthy of our people throughout the land have enrolled 
their names, and specified the amount of their intended 
donations. Such a display of Christian liberality was 
never before witnessed in the Wesleyan body. The large- 



224 



THE CENTENARY OF 



ness of the sums has indeed excited general observation. 
The less wealthy of our societies and congregations, and 
even the poor, must also have an opportunity of showing 
their good will to the cause ; and it maybe hoped that the 
aggregate will be worthy of the occasion, — a becoming 
expression of gratitude for benefits already received, and 
of zeal for the extension of the same benefits to the ends 
of the earth. 

The largest amount of property ever given at one time, 
for strictly religious purposes, was, perhaps, that which 
King David, and the elders of the Israelitish tribes, pre- 
sented toward the erection of the temple. The spirit by 
which the whole assembly was actuated was every way 
exemplary. There was no vain boasting there. No one 
said, " See what Judaism can do !" Every one felt that 
what he possessed had been first received from God ; and 
that it was an act of infinite condescension in Him to ac- 
cept the offering of their hands. While they were there- 
fore filled with sacred joy, they presented their gold, and 
silver, and precious stones, with self-abasement and holy 
reverence. " Then the people rejoiced, for that they 
offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered 
willingly to the Lord : and David the king also rejoiced 
with great joy. Wherefore David blessed the Lord before 
all the congregation : and David said, Blessed be thou, 
Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, 
O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, 
and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the 
heaven and in the earth is thine ; thine is the kingdom, 
O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both 
riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over 
all ; and in thy hand is power and might ; and in thy hand 
it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now, 
therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious 
name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 225 

should be able to offer so willingly after this sort ? for all 
things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. 
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were 
all our fathers : our days on the earth are as a shadow, and 
there is none abiding. O Lord our God, all this store 
that we have prepared to build thee a house for thine holy 
name cometh of thy hand, and is all thine own. I know 
also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure 
in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart, 
I have willingly offered all these things : and now I have 
seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer 
willingly unto thee. Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, 
and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagi- 
nation of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and pre- 
pare their heart unto thee. And David said to all the 
congregation, Now bless the Lord your God. And all 
the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, 
and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord 
and the king," 1 Chron. xxix, 9-20. 

10* 



APPENDIX. 



ARRANGEMENTS FOR CELEBRATING THE CENTENARY 
OF WESLEYAN METHODISM. 

The following are the resolutions of the late conference 
on this subject, extracted from the minutes, pp. 115-119 : — 

" Q. What does the conference determine on the sub- 
ject of the proposed Centenary of Wesleyan Me- 
thodism ? 

" A. The committee, appointed by the last conference 
to consider this subject, reported that, in pursuance of that 
appointment, they have held three meetings, which were 
numerously attended both by ministers, and by other gen- 
tlemen from other parts of the kingdom ; and that, after 
reading various letters and maturely considering and com- 
paring the suggestions therein contained, as well as the 
opinions of several highly influential and judicious friends 
who addressed the meetings, they unanimously adopted 
the following resolutions, as expressing their views and 
wishes on this interesting question : — 

" { I. That this committee cordially approves of the 
proposed celebration in the ensuing year (1839) of the 
centenary of the formation of the Wesleyan Methodist 
Society, under the providential instrumentality of the ever- 
to-be-revered and venerated John Wesley. 

" ' II. That the primary object of the said celebration 
should be the religious and devotional improvement of the 
centenary, by such public services in our chapels as the 
conference may judge it proper to appoint or to recom- 
mend. 



228 



the centenary of [Appendix. 



" * III. That, in connection with this primary object, it 
is deemed right and expedient by this committee, that 
there should be a general pecuniary contribution, by means 
both of private donations and public collections, through 
all our congregations and societies, at home and abroad ; — 
such contributions being intended as a practical thank- 
offering to Almighty God, for the personal and public 
benefits, derived by his blessing from the labours of Mr. 
Wesley and of his coadjutors and successors, during the 
last hundred years, and from the direct and indirect influ- 
ences of Wesleyan Methodism, not merely on our own 
religious community, but also on the Christian Church at 
large, and on the spiritual interests of the world. 

" ' IV. That, after a full consideration, it is the decided 
opinion of the committee that the connectional fund, to be 
raised on the occasion of the centenary, should be applied, 
in the first place, in the erection of suitable premises for 
the accommodation of students to be hereafter received 
into the Wesleyan Theological Institution, (whether such 
students be designed for home or for missionary service,) 
on an enlarged scale, adapted to the increasing demands 
of the connection for the benefit of its rising ministry ; 
and, in the second place, in assisting to provide commo- 
dious premises in London for the use of the Wesleyan 
Missionary Society, adequate to the greatly augmented 
and augmenting extent of its multifarious and important 
business. 

a < y That thig committee further recommend that our 
friends be affectionately advised to make some arrange- 
ments, by private and local efforts, in each circuit, respec- 
tively, for enabling the children of our Sunday and other 
charity schools, and also the poor members of our societies, 
to participate in the pleasure and benefit of the intended 
celebration, on the day, or on one of the days, to be set 
apart for that purpose ; so as to engage their pious and 



Appendix.] wesleyan Methodism. 229 

hearty concurrence in the thanksgivings, congratulations, 
and prayers of this great occasion ; — the specific plan for 
the attainment of this object, for the distribution of any 
local fund which may be raised for the poor members, 
being left entirely to the discretion of the preachers and 
friends in every circuit which shall adopt this suggestion, 
according to their own views of what will be most con- 
venient in each particular case, and most in accordance 
with the general religious services which may be here- 
after appointed for the connection at large. 

" 'VI. That this committee earnestly recommends to 
the immediate consideration of the connection the case of 
our worn-out ministers, and that of the widows of our 
deceased ministers. The committee respectfully suggest 
the propriety and necessity of some farther provision for 
their support upon the principle of the children's fund ; 
and would be particularly gratified, if such an arrangement 
could be effected, and provision made, for its future prac- 
tical operation, during the coming centenary year ; be- 
lieving that it would be, in connection with other modes 
of celebrating that occasion, an eminently fitting and 
beneficial testimonial of the gratitude of the connection to 
those of its ministers who are no longer capable of regular 
and constant labours, and of its pious care for the widows 
of those preachers who are gone to their reward.' 

" On receiving this report of the committee the con- 
ference unanimously resolved, — 

"I. That the conference gratefully approves of the 
resolutions of the centenary committee as now reported ; 
and cordially adopts them, in substance, as its own. 

"II. That a day of special and united supplication for 
the blessing of God upon the intended centenary services, 
and for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon ourselves 
and our people during the coming year, shall be appointed 
by the president such day to be fixed for as early a 



230 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



period in January, 1839, as he may judge most convenient, 
and duly announced by him in the Methodist Magazine, 
and otherwise, according to his discretion. 

" III. That the official discourse, usually delivered be- 
fore the conference by the preacher who has just retired 
from the presidency, shall be considered, at the next 
conference in 1839, as the Centenary Sermon; and that 
the Rev. Thomas Jackson, now our president, then the 
ex-president, be accordingly appointed to discharge that 
duty. 

" IV. That our president is also requested to prepare 
and publish, as early as possible, a brief but comprehen 
sive work on the subject of the centenary ; including, with 
succinct notices of the origin, progress, and present state 
of Wesleyan Methodism, and of the leading facts in the 
life and history of the reverend founder of our societies, 
such remarks as may assist our friends in the devout im- 
provement of the occasion. 

" Y. That one day be set apart during the session of 
the conference in July, 1839, to be employed in suitable 
religious services, by the preachers and friends who may 
then be in attendance at Liverpool. 

" VI. That, in all other places, the month of October, 
1839, is deemed the most suitable period for the centenary 
services ; and that arrangements shall accordingly be 
made for such services in every chapel, on such day oi 
days of that month as may be found most convenient. 
The school-collection, usually made in October, shall for 
that one year be made in September ; and it is earnestly 
requested that nc collection for ordinary local purposes 
shall be made during that month. 

" VII. That the president is authorized to nominate and 
invite a select committee of preachers and laymen, from 
different parts of the connection, to meet himself and our 
secretary at Manchester, in October, 1838, or as soon 



Appendix. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



231 



afterward as maybe convenient, for the purpose of carrying 
into effect the resolutions of the former centenary commit- 
tee who met at Bristol, as above recorded ; — of filling up 
the outline therein sketched ; — of considering such other 
suggestions, in accordance with the general principle of 
those resolutions, as may be submitted to them ; — and, espe- 
cially, of appointing local sub-committees in different places, 
for promoting the general centenary fund, as described in the 
third and fourth resolutions of the Bristol committee. The 
committee, at and after their first meeting in Manchester 
shall have power to add to their number, if they find it 
expedient ; and to adjourn to such times and places as 
may be deemed requisite. 

"VIII. The conference requests the centenary commit- 
tee just mentioned, to consider and report upon the sug- 
gestions which have been offered, and which will be 
explained to them by the president, as to the expediency 
of appointing a special deputation from the conference of 
1839, consisting of its president, ex-president, and secre- 
tary, and other members, for the purpose of visiting all the 
seven cities or towns where conferences are now held, 
and a few other places of peculiar importance or interest 
in the history of Wesleyan Methodism, or likely to be- 
come conference towns, (such as Oxford, Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne, and Hull,) in order to assist the preachers there 
stationed in the religious services, to be held in October, 
1839. 

" IX. To the same committee the conference also re- 
fers, with unfeigned and respectful gratitude to the gentle- 
men who originated and supported the sixth resolution 
of the Bristol committee, the plan therein suggested for 
the benefit of the worn-out preachers, and widows of de- 
ceased preachers ; and requests their collective opinion 
as to the propriety of adopting it, and as to the proper 
time and means of carrying it into effect, if it be approved, 



232 



THE CENTENARY OF 



Appendix. 



in a way conformable to our established rules on such 
subjects." 

On the morning of Nov. 7th, 1838, pursuant to these 
resolutions and directions of the conference, a meeting of 
ministers and gentlemen, convened by the president from 
different parts of the United Kingdom, was held inOIdham- 
street chapel, Manchester, in order to devise a proper 
plan for the celebration of the approaching Wesleyan 
centenary : — Present, 

The Rev. Thomas Jackson, president of the conference, 
in the chair, — the Rev. Robert Newton, secretary of the 
conference, — the Rev. Richard Reece, the Rev. Joseph 
Entwisle, the Rev. George Morley, the Rev. George 
Marsden, the Rev. Dr. Bunting, the Rev. Joseph Taylor, 
and the Rev. Edmund Grindrod, ex-presidents of the con- 
ference, — and about two hundred and fifty other ministers 
and gentlemen connected with the Wesleyan Methodist 
societies and congregations in London, Manchester, Sal- 
ford, Liverpool, Leeds, Bramley, Birmingham, Bristol, 
Sheffield, Bolton, Stockport, Halifax, Bradford, Wolver- 
hampton, West-Bromwich, Macclesfield, Bury, Wakefield, 
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sunderland, Chester, Rochdale, 
Oldham, Huddersfield, Sowerby Bridge, Birstal, Hull, 
York, Whitby, Louth, Haslingden, Dublin, Bandon, and 
elsewhere. 

The following resolutions were unanimously adopted : — 
I. On the motion of the Rev. Richard Reece, of Hull, 
seconded by Thomas Percival Bunting, Esq., of Man- 
chester, — That this meeting cordially approves of the 
proposed celebration, (in 1839,) of the formation of the 
Wesleyan Methodist Society in the year 1739, under the 
providential instrumentality of the ever-to-be-revered and 
venerated John Wesley ; and deeply feels that the 
primary object of such celebration should be the religious 
and devotional improvement of the centenary by solemn 



Appendix.] wesleyan Methodism. 233 

public services in all our chapels, both at home and in 
the various stations occupied by our foreign missions. 

II. On the motion of James Wood, Esq., of Man- 
chester, seconded by Thomas Farmer, Esq., of London, — 
That this meeting most cordially concurs in the opinion 
that, in connection with this primary object, it is eminently 
right and expedient that there should be a general pecu- 
niary contribution, by means both of individual and family 
donations, and of public collections, through all our so- 
cities and congregations at home and abroad ; — such 
contributions being intended as a practical thank-offer- 
ing to Almighty God for the personal, domestic, and 
public benefits derived, by his blessing, from the labours 
of Mr. Wesley, and of his coadjutors and successors, 
during the last hundred years, and from the direct and 
indirect influences of the various ministrations and agen- 
cies of Wesleyan Methodism, not merely on our own 
religious community, but also on the Christian Church at 
large, and on the spiritual interests of the world. 

III. On the motion of T. C. Gibson, Esq., of Newcastle- 
upon-Tyne, seconded by Francis Riggall, Esq., of Louth, 
— That this meeting fully and heartily concurs in the de- 
cided judgment of the Bristol Committee, as afterward 
unanimously sanctioned by the conference, that the con- 
nectional fund, to be raised on the occasion of the 
centenary, should be applied, — 

/jf I. Ift^ke-^fiz^t place, — To the erection and preparation 
of suitable premises for the accommodation of those stu- 
dents who, after satisfactory evidence obtained by the 
conference as heretofore, of their sound conversion to 
God, their solid piety, and their divine call to the Chris- 
tian ministry, shall be received into the Wesleyan Theo- 
logical Institution, whether such students be designed for 
home or for missionary service : — 

2. LtUke^aamd^placa,— To the provision of commodious 



234 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



premises in London for the use of the Wesleyan Missionary 
Society, adequate to the greatly augmented and augment- 
ing extent of its multifarious and important business.^ 

With respect to the first, this meeting is deeply con- 
vinced^ that to afford every possible facility for the im- 
provement of our rising ministry is not only in itself an 
object of first-rate importance, but also one of an eminently 
connectional nature, interesting alike to all classes of our 
people, and beneficial to the cause of God, as carried on 
by our section of the Christian Church, in every part of 
the world, where we have a place ; and therefore feels that 
the time is now fully come when we ought to prepare pre- 
mises for this purpose on a greatly extended scale, adapted 
to the increasing demands of the connection in this de- 
partment, and such as will, at the same time, be monu- 
mental in their character, by presenting a visible and 
enduring testimonial, in connection with the present 
centenary occasion, of our gratitude to God for " his good 
hand upon us for goody and for his mercies toward our 
fathers and ourselves. And with respect to the provision 
of suitable premises in London, for the business of the 
Wesleyan Missionary Society, that appropriation, also, is 
recommended to the approval of this meeting, not only by 
its utility and necessity, but, additionally, by its monumental 
and its strictly connectional character. 

IV. On the motion of the Rev. Dr. Bunting, of London, 
seconded by Thomas Beaumont, Esq., of Bradford, — That, 
this meeting, while fully concurring in the urgent and pre- 
eminent claims of the two objects specified in the preceding 
resolution, is, at the same time, satisfied of the duty and dis- 
position of the members and friends of our connection to 
raise, on this special and extraordinary occasion, {which to 
them can never again occur,) a much larger sum, by way 
of devout thank-offering, than that wrljch. those objects 
alone will require ; and pledges itself, ^individually and 

V 



ApptndiccJ] wesleyan Methodism. 235 

collectively, to the most zealous exertions for that purpose ; 
— being assured that all classes of our friends — male and 
female, at home and abroad, the middle and poorer 
classes as well as the affluent, the children and youth of 
our societies and congregations, as/well as those of mature 
age — will account it a privilege Jfo contribute their proper 
share, according to their several means. 

V. On the motion of George R. Chappell, Esq., of Man- 
chester, seconded by Thomas Walker, Esq., of Stockton- 
upon-Tees, — That under the influence of this expectation 
and pledge, this meeting - , after much inquiry and careful 
deliberation as to the other connectional objects to which 
farther sums may' be best appropriated, unanimously 
adopts the following conclusions : — 

1. That the sum of eighty thousand pounds is considered 
as the very lowest which must be raised, by the universal 
effort now contemplated, for the centenary fund. 

2. That, after a liberal reserve for the purposes of the 
Theological Institution, and for the new mission-house, 
&c.,/as before stated, the remainder of the said sum of 
£80,000 should be employed as follows : — 

-"" (l.) In providing a Wesleyan missionary ship, for 
fiffe* purpose of forwarding missionaries and missionary 
stores, as may from time to time be found necessary and 
expedient, from New South Wales and Van Dieman's 
Land to our mission stations in New-Zealand, in the 
Friendly Islands, in the Fejee Islands, and in other Poly- 
nesian groups; — such a ship being exceedingly wanted, 
both for the comfort of the missionaries labouring in those 
islands, and for the general advantage and security of the 
missions themselves. 

(2.) In finally liquidating a building-debt of about five 
thousand pounds, yet remaining on the premises of %m 
two connectional schools at Kingswood and Woodhouse- 
Grove ;$-thus liberating, for the use of the Methodist 



236 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



Preachers' Annuity Society, a considerable sum now 
annually payable for interest on that debt, and for its 
gradual reduction, and restoring such sum at once to its 
original and proper use, as part of the income applicable 
to the support of preachers compelled, through age or in- 
firmity, to retire from their regular labours in the ministry, 
and of the widows of our deceased ministers and pastors. 
To this deeply interesting and affecting subject, (the better 
support of aged or infirm ministers, and of preachers' 
widows,) this meeting, in sympathy, it believes, with the 
feelings and wishes of all our friends who have thought 
seriously upon it, and to whose views it thus gives ex- 
pression, would have felt it imperative to give a decided 
prominence in this part of its proceedings, if it had not 
ascertained that farther and much more adequate means 
than those which the centenary fund could furnish for 
accomplishing an object so just and necessary, and so 
dear to the hearts of our people, can be secured by certain 
permanent arrangements for the regular annual increase 
of the Auxiliary Preachers' 1 Fund, which will be recom- 
mended in two subsequent resolutions. (See resolutions 
19 and 20.) 

(3.) In placing at the disposal of the Chapel Loan Fund 
Committee a considerable sum, sufficient to enable it to 
continue, without material interruption, its most beneficial 
and important operations $ (which must be otherwise for 
a while wholly suspendedrowmg to the entire exhaustion 
of its present resources ;) and thus to relieve many cases 
of distressed trustees and overburdened chapels from the 
pressure of debt and difficulty ; — and also to enable that 
committee to accelerate, by judicious arrangements, the 
period at which the interest, and eventually the principal, 
of the loans already so usefully expended, will be fully 
discharged ; so that the annual income of the regular 
chapel fund may become more speedily available. In this 



Appendix.'] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



237 



resolution this meeting anticipates the grateful approbation 
of the whole respected body of the chapel trustees, and 
bespeaks with confidence their special exertions on behalf 
of the centenary fund, in their several localities. 

N. B. The five appropriations, specified in the third and 
fifth resolutions, namely, — those for the theological insti- 
tution, the missionary premises and other specialities, the 
Polynesian missionary ship, the school-building debt, and 
the chapel-loan fund, (and a small sum for incidental ex- 
penses connected with the centenary fund itself,) will 
require that at least the minimum of £80,000, above men- 
tioned, should be provided on the present occasion. 

VI. On the motion of John Burton, Esq., of Rhodes- 
house, near Manchester, seconded by W. G. Scarth, Esq., 
of Leeds, — That it is the earnest hope and expectation of 
this meeting, that the minimum of £80,000, assumed in the 
preceding resolution, may ultimately be very considerably 
exceeded by the pious feeling and liberality of our united 
ministers and people ; and that whatever surplus beyond 
that minimum shall actually be realized, shall be hereafter 
devoted to some one or more of the general purposes and 
objects which are recognised in the preceding resolutions, 
under the direction of a committee to be appointed from 
among the principal subscribers, in such proportions as 
the claims and necessities of each particular object shall 
seem at the time to require. 

VII. On the motion of Thomas Farmer, Esq., of Lon- 
don, seconded by Samuel Stocks, Esq., of Wakefield, — 
That the subscriptions be now commenced ; and that 
James Wood, Esq., of Manchester, be appointed the 
General Treasurer of the Wesley an Centenary Fund. 

VIII. On the motion of the Rev. John Scott, of Lon- 
don, seconded by the Rev. W. M. Bunting, of Manchester, 
— That, in order to meet the wishes and convenience of 
some classes of subscribers, the donations of those who 



238 the centexary of [Appendix. 

desire it shall become due by instalments as follows, 
namely, 

First Instalment, — In the week immediately preceding 
the conference of July, 1839. 

Second ditto, — In the week preceding the conference 
of July, 1840. 

Third ditto, — -In the week preceding the conference of 
July, 1 841 :— 

And that the subscribers be respectfully requested to 
signify to the general treasurer, in a form to be hereafter 
prepared and duly circulated among them for that pur- 
pose, their intentions, either to pay their donations in 
one sum, at an early period — or to pay them by two or 
three instalments, beginning in July, 1839, and ending in 
July, 1841, as they may severally prefer. 

IX. On motion of the Rev. Joseph Taylor, of Manchester, 
seconded by James Musgrave, Esq., of Leeds, — That a 
General Centenary Sub-Committee be appointed, who shall 
meet from time to time in Manchester, for the purpose of 
promoting the contribution which it has now been resolved 
to raise ; and of taking such measures as may best engage 
the prompt, zealous, and efficient co-operation of all our 
preachers, trustees, class-leaders, and people, in every 
circuit in Great Britain and Ireland, for the attainment of 
this great and common object. 

X. On the motion of Robert Campion, Esq., of Whitby, 
seconded by the Rev. Theophilus Lessey, of Bristol, — 
That the following ministers and gentlemen, of Manchester 
and Liverpool, and their vicinity, do constitute the said 
committee ; namely, James Wood, Esq., the treasurer ; 
the Rev. Messrs Taylor, Rigg, Slater, West, Pattisson, 
Smith, W. M. Bunting, Clough, Wilson, Felvus, Steward, 
Lawton, Heaton, Thompson, Meek, M'Kitrick, Anderson, 
Squance, Stead, Horton, and Tindall ; — Messrs. W. Allen, 
Adam Bealey, John Burton, J. D. Burton, Braik, Thomas 



Appendix.] wesleyan Methodism. 239 

Percival Bunting, Chappell, John Chubb, John Fernley, 
Fildes, Garstang, Henson, W. F. Johnson, Thomas Jack- 
son, John Lomas, Mayson, John Marsden, G. B.Marsden, 
Makinson, Rothwell, W. Read, Rowell, Robert Tovvnend, 
Thomas Townend, Peter Wood, M. D., Joshua Westhead, 
Edward Westhead, and John Westhead, all of Man- 
chester; M. Ashton, T. Crook, Dean, George Heald, 
Kaye, Vernon, and Sands, of Liverpool; and James 
Heald, Marshall, and Dr. Turner, of Stockport ; — with 
power to add to their number. 

XI. On the motion of Thomas Crook, Esq., of Liverpool, 
seconded by the Rev. Theophilus Lessey, of Bristol, — 
That the Rev. F. A. West, Mr. John Lomas, Mr. T. P. 
Bunting, Mr. John Westhead, and Mr. John D. Burton, all 
of Manchester, be appointed to act as secretaries to the 
General Sub-Committee. 

XII. On the motion of Thomas Sands, Esq., of Liver- 
pool, seconded by John Howard, Esq., of Leeds, — That 
this meeting earnestly recommends the immediate appoint- 
ment of local sub-committees in every circuit of Great 
Britain and Ireland, to co-operate with the General Sub- 
Committee in promoting the centenary contributions, and 
also the appointment, by such sub-committees, of a Local 
Sub-Treasurer in every circuit. 

XIII. On the motion of Mr. Thomas Stanley, of New- 
castle-upon-Tyne, seconded by G. R. Chappell, Esq., of 
Manchester, — That it is earnestly recommended that, one 
or more public meetings of friends who approve of the 
objects and plan of the centenary fund shall be held in 
every circuit, as early in 1839 as can be made convenient, 
for the purpose of obtaining donations in each distinct 
locality. 

XIV. On the motion of Thomas Farmer, Esq., seconded 
by the Rev. John Mason, of London, — That the valuable 
help of the ladies of our societies and congregations shall 



240 the centenary of [Appendix. 

be most respectfully solicited, by the formation, in each 
circuit, of a Ladies' Committee, or otherwise ; first, for the 
purpose of promoting the private and family donations to 
the general fund, — and, secondly, for the purpose of car- 
rying into effect, at the proper time, the recommendations 
contained in the fifth resolution of the Bristol Committee, 
(see Minutes of 1838, p. 116,) that local arrangements 
should be made for enabling the children of our Sunday 
and day schools, and the poor members of our societies, to 
participate in the pleasure and benefit of the intended 
celebration, on the day, or on one of the days, to be set 
apart for that end, but on such a plan as will not interfere 
with the public religious services of the occasion. 

XV. On the motion of Peter Rothwell, Esq., of Bolton, 
seconded by Charles Chubb, Esq., of London, — That the 
Missionary Committee and secretaries be respectfully re- 
quested to adopt early and suitable measures for obtaining 
the concurrence of the societies and congregations at our 
foreign stations in the religious celebration of the cente- 
nary, and in the contribution which is to accompany that 
celebration. 

XVI. On the motion of the Rev. Robert Newton, of 
Leeds, seconded by the Rev. George Marsden,of Sheffield, 
— That this meeting rejoices to learn from the much re- 
spected president of the conference, that the volume which 
he is preparing, in compliance with the fourth resolution 
of the late Bristol Conference, on the occasion of the cen- 
tenary, (see Minutes of 1838, p. 118,) is in a state of for- 
wardness ; and recommends that it should be published as 
speedily as practicable, and that a cheap edition, as little 
abridged as possible, should be printed, for sale or distribu- 
tion among our poorer members, and in our Sunday and 
day schools. 

XVII. On the motion of John Marsden, Esq., of Man- 
chester, seconded by Thomas Bagnall, Esq., of Wolver- 



Appendix.] wesleyan Methodism. 241 

hampton, — That, with respect to the time of celebration, 
this meeting entirely approves of the third, fifth, and sixth 
resolutions of the late conference ; (see Minutes, 1838, 
p. 118 ;) which are in substance as follows : — " That the 
official discourse, to be delivered before the conference at 
Liverpool in 1839, by the Rev. Thomas Jackson, shall be 
considered as The Centenary Sermon: — 

" That one day be set apart during the session of the 
conference, in 1839, to be employed in suitable religious 
services : — 

" That in all other places, the month of October, 1839, 
is deemed the most suitable period for the centenary ser- 
vices ; and that, in consideration of the universal congre- 
gational collections to be then made for the centenary fund, 
no collection for ordinary local purposes should be made 
in that month and the school collections, usually made in 
October, should, for that one year, be made in September." 

This meeting further most respectfully recommends that 
the conference should direct that on Friday the twenty- 
fifth day of October, 1839, meetings shall be held in every 
chapel, early in the morning, and also in the evening, for 
united prayer and thanksgiving ; — that, where it can be 
done with convenience, the same day should be selected 
for public discourses and worship in our congregations, at 
the hours of their usual assembly in the forenoon and 
evening of the Lord's day ; — and that, even where local 
circumstances render it necessary to select some other day 
of the month for general worship, that day (October 25th) 
should nevertheless be uniformly adopted for the purposes 
of public devotion at some early hour of the morning, and 
also in the evening, as before specified. 

XVIII. On the motion of the Rev. W. Atherton, of Lon- 
don, seconded by Mr. Ralph Wilson, of Newcastle-upon- 
Tyne, — That this meeting approves of the plan referred to 
its consideration in the eighth resolution of the late con 

11 



242 the centenary of [Appendix. 

ference, (see Minutes of 1838, p. 119,) namely, the ap- 
pointment of special deputations from the conference, con- 
sisting of its official and other members, to visit the ten 
places mentioned in that resolution, at the time of the cen- 
tenary, in order to assist the preachers there stationed in 
the religious services of the occasion ; but respectfully 
recommends that the cities of Dublin and Edinburgh 
should, if possible, be added to the list. 

XIX. On motion of G. B. Thorneycroft, Esq., of Wolver- 
hampton, seconded by Mr. Alexander Braik, of Manchester, 
— That this meeting now rejoices to turn its attention again 
from the proposed centenary fund, to another subject, 
which, in common with the members of several recent 
quarterly meetings of circuits, and with numerous other 
friends, it deems to be of the greatest importance ; namely, 
the justice and necessity of making a regular and permanent 
provision for the better support of our ministers, when 
placed through age or infirmity on the supernumerary list, 
and also for the widows of deceased preachers. The 
deliberations of the meeting having been strongly directed 
to tins object from an early period of its sittings by the 
reference made to it in the sixth resolution of the Bristol 
Committee, and also by the conference itself, (see Minutes 
of 1838, pp. 118 and 119,) and by the addresses of many 
of its own very judicious and influential members, it is 
unanimously agreed that an arrangement for its immediate 
and permanent accomplishment should be made at the 
very next conference, by an adequate increase of the 
Auxiliary Preachers' 1 Fund, on the fair and equitable prin- 
ciple already so beneficially exemplified in respect to the 
Children's Fund ; and the meeting most earnestly recom- 
mends that the preachers and circuit-stewards should ex- 
press, at the next district meetings, in May, 1839, accord- 
ing to our established rule in such cases, their cheerful 
approbation of such an arrangement, and their readiness 



Appendix.] wesleyan Methodism. 



243 



to carry it into effect forthwith in their respective circuits. 
This meeting feels, with the Bristol Committee, that the 
introduction of this plan during the centenary year " would 
be, in conjunction with other modes of celebration, an 
eminently fitting and beneficial testimonial of the gratitude 
of the connection to those of its ministers who are no 
longer capable of constant labours, and of its pious care for 
the widows of those preachers who are gone to their 
reward." 

XX. On the motion of Joshua Swallow, Esq., of Wake- 
field, seconded by Joseph Agar, Esq., of York, — That for 
the purpose of completing the outline of the plan to which 
the last resolution refers, and of placing it before the 
several district-meetings, accompanied by such information 
as will evince both its justice and its easy practicability, 
by means of a small but aggregate and united contribution 
to be annually furnished from all the circuits, and as will, 
this meeting confidently hopes, induce its immediate and 
unanimous recommendation to the conference of 1839, — 
the following persons be requested to act as a sub-com- 
mittee, and to meet at Manchester at such early period of 
the ensuing year, (before the annual meetings ef the dis- 
tricts,) as the president shall appoint and announce, namely, 

The president and secretary of the conference; the 
Rev. Messrs. G. Marsden, J. Taylor, Grindrod, Waugh, 
Naylor, Scott, R. Wood, Mason, Haswell, Pilter, Vevers, 
Eastwood, Anderson, Rigg, Slater, West, and Dr. Bunting ; 
Messrs. J. Wood, J. Burton, J. Marsden, Braik, Chappell, 
J. Lomas, T. P. Bunting, and John Westhead, all of Man- 
chester ; Scarth, Musgrave, and Howard, all of Leeds ; 
Crook, G. Heald, Sands, and Ashton, all of Liverpool ; 
Heald, of Stockport ; Allen, of Macclesfield ; Farmer, of 
London ; Suter, of Halifax ; Thorneycroft, of Wolver- 
hampton ; and Riggall, of Louth. 

XXI. On the motion of W. F. Pocock, Esq., of London, 



244 



THE CENTENARY OF [Appendix. 



seconded by the Rev. James Blackett, of Whitby, — That 
the following persons be respectfully requested to meet 
the treasurers and secretaries of the Wesleyan Missionary 
Society in Liverpool, on some convenient day in the week 
preceding the ensuing conference, as a sub-committee, for 
the purpose of considering the best method of providing 
and managing the Polynesian missionary ship, mentioned 
in the fifth of the foregoing resolutions : namely, the Rev. 
Messrs. Joseph Taylor, Lawry, and Horton ; and Messrs. 
Irving, Campion, Sands, Gibson, T. Walker, and G. W. 
Longridge : with power to add to their number. 

XXII. On the motion of Adam Bealey, Esq., of Rad- 
cliffe, seconded by the Rev. Thomas Waugh, of Ireland, — 
That in conformity to the authority confided by the con- 
ference to this committee, (Minutes of 1838, p. 118,) to 
adjourn its meetings from Manchester to such times and 
places as may be deemed requisite, this meeting be, at its 
close, adjourned to the following times and places, for the 
purpose of making known and explaining the plans which 
it has adopted in reference to the centenary, and of obtaining 
without delay, the general support of our friends in other 
parts of the connection in aid of the centenary fund,namely, 

Liverpool, — Wednesday, November 21st, 1838 : for the 
Liverpool, Macclesfield, North Wales, and the Isle of Man 
districts. 

London, — Friday, December 7th : for the southern and 
south-eastern districts. 

Bristol, — Monday, December 10th: for the west of 
England and South Wales. 

Birmingham, — Wednesday, December 12th: for the con- 
tiguous midland districts. 

Sheffield, — Friday, December 14th: for the Sheffield 
and the Nottingham and Derby districts. 

Leeds, — Monday, December 17th: for all the West- 
Riding districts. 



Appendix.] wesleyan Methodism. 245 

Hull, — Wednesday, December 19th: for the Hull, Lin- 
colnshire, York, and Whitby districts. 

Newcastle-upon-Tyne , — Friday, December 21st: for all 
the northern districts and circuits. 

Dublin, — Wednesday, February 27th, 1839: for Ireland. 

That the president and secretary of the conference, 
with Dr. Bunting, James Wood, Esq., (the treasurer,) 
Messrs. Crook, Scarth, J. Heald, Chappell, Walker, 
Thorneycroft, Suter, Campion, Farmer, Elliott, Riggall, 
and as many other members of this committee, both min- 
isters and laymen, as conveniently can, be earnestly re- 
quested to attend these adjourned meetings : — That our 
friends at each place be respectfully solicited to make the 
necessary previous arrangements, and to circulate exten- 
sively the president's letter of invitation in their several 
localities : That farther adjournments of this committee 
be fixed, if found necessary, at any future meeting, in the 
course of the year : — And that the final adjournments for 
business be fixed for Liverpool, in connection with the en- 
suing conference, on such day as the president may appoint 
and announce. 

XXIII. On the motion of the Rev. Dr. Hannah, seconded 
by the Rev. Richard Waddy, — That the ministers and 
friends who have had the privilege of attending this meet- 
ing feel it especially incumbent upon them to record their 
most devout thanksgiving to Almighty God for the extra- 
ordinary tokens of his presence and blessing which have 
mercifully accompanied their several deliberations. Never 
did they take part in counsels which were more eminently 
and uniformly distinguished by fraternal confidence, kind- 
ness, and unanimity. From the peace and amity which 
now happily prevail throughout the connection, they adven- 
tured to cherish large expectations ; but they are con- 
strained, with the deepest gratitude, to acknowledge that 
their largest expectations have been far exceeded. So 



246 the centenary of [Appendix. 



remarkable a visitation from the Spirit of all unity and love 
— signs so unequivocal of a gracious influence from on 
high — fill them with hope the most cheerful and encour- 
aging. They part from each other in the humble but firm 
persuasion that this meeting affords a pledge and antepast 
of diffusive good ; that the spirit of which its members 
have so delightfully partaken will spread itself, with a rich 
train of blessings, through the whole Methodist body; 
that the societies, walking more closely than ever " in the 
fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost," 
will be abundantly " multiplied ;" and that the approaching 
centenary will obtain a permanent memorial from heaven, 
—the memorial of a great and extensive revival of pure 
and primitive Christianity. 

XXIV. On the motion of Thomas Farmer, Esq., of 
London, seconded by William Skinner, Jun., Esq., of 
Stockton-upon-Tees, — That the most affectionate and cor- 
dial thanks of this meeting are justly due, and are hereby 
tendered, on the part of those members who have come 
from distant places, to our friends in Manchester and its 
neighbourhood, for their great hospitality and Christian 
kindness, and for their exemplary zeal in promoting the 
important object which has brought us together. 

XXV. On the motion of James Wood, Esq., seconded 
by G. R. Chappell, Esq., both of Manchester, — That the 
lay members of this committee feel it to be their duty and 
pleasure, before they separate, to record their sense of the 
valuable services which have been rendered to the cente- 
nary cause by the Rev. Robert Newton, secretary of the 
conference, and by the other respected ministers, who have 
attended the meeting, and have afforded to it their highly 
important assistance. 

Signed, on behalf of the meeting, 

THOMAS JACKSON, 
President of the Conference. 



Appendix.] 



"WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



247 



XXVI. It was then finally resolved, on the motion of 
James Wood, Esq., on behalf of James Heald, Esq., of 
Stockport, (who had been obliged to leave the meeting,) 
seconded by the Rev. Dr. Bunting, of London, — That the 
warmest thanks of this meeting be most respectfully pre- 
sented to the Rev. Thomas Jackson, president of the con- 
ference, for the distinguished ability, affection, and piety 
with which he has conducted the various business of this 
most happy and interesting week ', and for his very edify- 
ing and acceptable communications connected with the 
history of Mr. Wesley and of Methodism. 

Signed, on behalf of the meeting, 
ROBERT NEWTON, 

Secretary to the Conference. 

Manchester, Nov. 9, 1838. 



248 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



NOTE TO PAGE 52. 

When Mr. Wesley obtained " the pearl of great price," the faith 
of God's elect, he was listening to a passage in Luther's preface to 
the Epistle to the Romans. It is remarkable that none of Mr. Wes- 
ley's biographers should have referred to this document, which is 
singularly adapted to the state of his mind at that particular period. 
It proves that Luther was not only a powerful opponent of ecclesi- 
astical abuses, and of those«theological errors which the Church of 
Rome has invented and maintained ; but that he was also well ac- 
quainted with the work of God in the human heart. The preface 
in question was published in English during the latter part of Queen 
Elizabeth's reign ; and it was probable that it was a reprint of this 
translation that was read in the meeting which Mr. Wesley de- 
scribes. This book has long been extremely scarce, so that I have 
never been able to get possession of a copy ; I should otherwise 
have had great pleasure in laying before the readers of the present 
volume, the exact words to which the venerated founder of Method- 
ism was listening when the Son of God was revealed in his heart. 
In the absence of that tract, I have no alternative but to give the 
passage from Luther in a new translation. They occur in the fifth 
volume of Luther's Works, in folio, A. D. 1554. The small treatise 
from which they are selected bears the title of Prefatio Methodica 
totius Scriptures in Epistolam ad Bomanos. It was, like many 
other of Luther's valuable productions, originally written and pub- 
lished in the German language, and translated A. D. 1523, by the 
famous Justus Jonas, into Latin. Each paragraph, according to the 
usage of the learned in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, has a 
distinct heading, descriptive of the subject on which it treats. The 
following are a few specimens ; and they contain that part of the 
tract which Mr. Wesley mentions, as "describing the change which 
God works in the heart through faith in Christ." 

M THE LAW IS SPIRITUAL. 

" Therefore the apostle says, in chap, vii, 1 The law is spiritual ;' 
as if he had said, If the law were only carnal and moral doctrine, it 
might be fulfilled by outward works. For since it is spiritual, that 
is, as it requires all our spirit and affections, then no one fulfils it 
with a cheerful heart, and with a certain ardour of mind, and with 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



249 



entire affection, unless he performs those things which the law com- 
mands. But thou obtainest such a new heart, and those ardent and 
cheerful affections of the heart, not through any strength or merit 
of thine own, but solely through the operation and afflatus of the 
Holy Spirit. For he alone renews the heart, and makes a man 
spiritual ; that, thus being spiritual, he may love spiritualem legem, 
the law of the Spirit ; and not through fear, or through desire of 
any advantage, but with a cheerful and free heart, may fulfil it ; and 
may be borne on by quodam impetu, a sort of divine impulse, spon- 
taneously and without constraint to do those things which belong to 
the law. ' The law is spiritual,' must therefore be thus understood : 
The law is not fulfilled, except with a spirit and heart renewed by 
the Holy Spirit. Therefore, wherever this spirit and renovation of 
the heart through the Holy Spirit are not, so far is the law from 
being there fulfilled, that, on the contrary, all the [natural] repug- 
nance to it and hatred of it remain there, although the law of itself 
* is holy, and just, and good.' " 

" WHAT IS MEANT BY FULFILLING THE LAW. 

" But to fulfil the law, is to perform those things commanded in 
the law, with hilarity, uprightness, and cheerfulness of heart ; that 
is, spontaneously, and of one's free choice, to live to God, and to 
perform good works, even though the law had no existence. But 
non contingit cordibus, our hearts have not any such hilarity, cheer- 
fulness, favourable inclination of the will, and ardent affection, ex- 
cept through vivificatorem, the life-giving Spirit, and his lively im- 
pulse and agitationem, motion in the heart : as the apostle says in 
chap. v. But the Spirit is bestowed solely through faith in Jesus 
Christ. In like manner, at the commencement he has said, faith 
cometh by hearing the gospel, or the word of God ; by which Christ 
is preached as having died for us, as having been buried, and raised 
from the dead, as he declares in chap, iii, iv, x. Our entire justifi- 
cation, therefore, is of God; faith and the Spirit are likewise of 
God, and not of ourselves." 

" FAITH ALONE JUSTIFIES. 

" Hence also faith alone justifies, and it alone fulfils the law. For 
faith, through the merits of Christ, obtains the Holy Spirit. This 
blessed Spirit renews, exhilarates, excites, and inflames the heart, 
so that it spontaneously performs what the law requires. And then, 
at length, from the faith thus efficaciously working and living in the 

11* 



250 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



heart, freely Jluunt, proceed those works which are truly good. The 
apostle wishes to convey this meaning in the third chapter. For 
after he had, in that chapter, utterly condemned the works of the 
law, and might almost seem, by the doctrine of faith, about to de- 
stroy and abolish the law, he at once anticipates the objection by 
asserting, « We do not destroy the law, but we establish it;' that is, 
we teach how the law is really fulfilled by believing, or through 
faith." 

" WHAT IS TRUE FAITH ? 

" But true faith is the work of God in us, by which we are born 
again and renewed, through God and the Spirit of God, as we are 
told in John i ; and by which the old Adam is slain, and we are 
completely transformed per omnia, in all things ; as the apostle de- 
clares, ' We are made new creatures in Christ through faith ;' ubi, 
in which new creatures the Holy Spirit becomes vita et gubcrnatio 
cordis, the living and ruling principle of the heart. But faith is an 
energy in the heart ; at once so efficacious, lively, breathing, and 
powerful, as to be incapable of remaining inactive, but bursts forth 
into operation. Neither does he who has faith, moratur, demur 
about the question, whether good works have been commanded or 
not ; but even though there were no law, feeling the motions of this 
living impulse putting forth and exerting itself in his heart, he is 
spontaneously borne onward to work, and at no time does he cease 
to perform such actions as are truly piou3 and Christian. But who- 
soever from such a living affection of the heart produces no good 
works, he is still in a state of total unbelief, and is a stranger to 
faith ; as are most of those persons who hold long disputes, and give 
utterance to much declamation in the schools, about faith and good 
works, 'neither understanding what they say, nor whereof they 
affirm.' " 

" WHAT FAITH IS. 

" Faith, then, is a constant fiducia, trust in the mercy of God to- 
ward us ; a trust living and efficaciously working in the heart -, by 
which we cast ourselves entirely on God, and commit ourselves to 
him ; by which, certb freti, having an assured reliance, we feel no 
hesitation about enduring death a thousand times. And this firm 
trust in the mercy of God is tarn animosa, so animating, as to cheer, 
elevate, and excite the heart, and to transport it with certain most 
sweet affections toward God ; and it animates this heart of the be- 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



251 



liever in such a manner that, firmly relying on God, he feels no 
dread in opposing himself solum, as a single champion against all 
creatures. This high and heroical feeling, therefore, hos ingentes 
animos, this noble enlargement of spirit, is injected and effected 
in the heart by the Spirit of God, who is imparted [to the believer] 
through faith. And hence we also obtain [the privilege] to be im- 
pelled to that which is good, by this vital energy in our hearts. We 
also obtain such a cheerful propensionem, inclination, that freely 
and spontaneously we are eager and most ready to do, to suffer, 
and to endure all things in obedience to a Father and God of such 
great clemency; who, through Christ, has enriched us with such 
abundant treasures of grace, and has almost overwhelmed us with 
such transcendent benefits. It is impossible that this efficacious and 
vital principle of faith can be in any man without continually ope- 
rating, and producing fruit to God. It is just as impossible for a 
pile of dry fagots to be set on fire without emitting flames of light. 
Wherefore use watchfulness, ibi, in this quarter, so as not to believe 
the vain imaginations of thy own mind, and the foolish cogitations 
and trifles of the sophists. For these men possess neither heart nor 
brains : they are mere animals of the belly, born only for these 
solemn banquets of the schools. But do thou pray to God, who by 
his word has commanded light to shine out of darkness, that he 
would be pleased to shine into thy heart, and create faith within 
thee; otherwise thou wilt never believe, though thou shouldcst spend 
a thousand years in studying to fabricate such cogitations about a 
faith already obtained or to be hereafter acquired." 

While the great German reformer thus " described the change 
which God works in the heart through faith in Christ," the English 
clergyman who had gone to the ends of the earth to convert the 
heathen, and returned in a penitent state of heart, having there 
learned that he was not converted himself, tells us, "I felt my heart 
strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for sal- 
vation ; and an assurance was given me, that he had taken away 
my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." 

It is worthy of remark, that the principles which Mr. Wesley 
recognised in this most solemn and momentous transaction he 
steadily maintained till his spirit returned to God. He regarded the 
natural state of men as a state of guilt and condemnation, and of 
depravity and helplessness. They are under the sentence of eternal 
death, and they are at the same time under the power of sin, so as 
to be unable either to offer to God acceptable worship or acceptable 



252 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



obedience. They cannot atone for any of their eins, nor can they 
escape from their evil nature, by any devices that they can form, or 
any efforts that they can put forth. The salvation which has been 
merited for them by the death of Christ, and which the gospel re- 
veals, fully meets their case. It comprehends two great blessings, 
— justification, and sanctification, — by which we understand de- 
liverance from the guilt and from the power of sin. This salvation 
is obtained by the simple exercise of faith in Christ crucified. What- 
ever may be the depth of a man's penitential sorrow, the correctness 
of his moral conduct, the intensity of his desire to please and enjoy 
God, or the earnestness and importunity of his prayers, he is not ac- 
cepted and regenerated till he believes in Christ. It is only when 
he trusts in Christ that forgiveness is sealed upon his conscience, 
and the sin that dwelleth in him ceases to have the dominion. 
There is an inseparable connection between these blessings. No man 
can receive one without the other. Yet in the order of nature justi- 
fication is first vouchsafed. It is indeed absurd to suppose that the 
Holy Ghost will so renew us in the spirit of our minds as to make 
us partakers of the divine nature, while we remain under the curse 
of God's violated law. But when we are " accepted in the Beloved" 
there is no M charge" against us ; we are as fully justified as if we 
had never committed a single sin, but had actually fulfilled all right- 
eousness ; and hence there is nothing to hinder the communication 
of the Holy Spirit in all his plenitude of regenerating power. This 
salvation is matter of personal consciousness. The spirit of adop- 
tion is in the believing heart, crying, " Abba, Father ;" and perma- 
nently happy are the men whom the Son thus makes free by an 
application of his blood, and the mighty working of the Holy 
Ghost. 



NOTE TO PAGE 62. 

Some idea may be formed of the violent opposition which the 
Wesleys had to encounter as itinerant preachers, from the following 
narratives, the first selected from the Journal of Mr. John Wesley, 
and the other from that of Charles. 

" Thursday, Oct. 20th, 1743," says Mr. John Wesley, " after 
preaching to a small, attentive congregation, I rode to Wednesbury. 
At twelve I preached in a ground near the middle of the town, to a 
far larger congregation than was expected, on, * Jesus Christ, the 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



253 



same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.' I believe every one pre- 
sent felt the power of God. And no creature offered to molest us, 
either going or coming ; but the Lord fought for us, and we held 
our peace. 

44 I was writing at Francis Ward's in the afternoon, when the cry 
arose that 1 the mob had beset the house.' We prayed that God 
would disperse them ; and it was so ; one went this way, and an- 
other that, so that, in half an hour, not a man was left. I told our 
brethren, 4 Now is the time for us to go ;' but they pressed me ex- 
ceedingly to stay. So, that I might not offend them, I sat down, 
though I foresaw what would follow. Before five the mob sur- 
rounded the house again, in greater numbers than ever. The cry 
of one and all was, 'Bring out the minister; we will have the minis- 
ter.' I desired one to take their captain by the hand, and bring him 
into the house. After a few sentences interchanged between us, 
the lion was become a lamb. I desired him to go and bring one or 
two more of the most angry of his companions. He brought in two, 
who were ready to swallow the ground with rage ; but in two minutes 
they were as calm as he. I then bade him make way, that I might 
go out among the people. As soon as I was in the midst of them, 
I called for a chair, and, standing up, asked, 1 What do you want 
with me ?' Some said, * We want you to go with us to the justice.' 
I replied, 4 That *l will with all my heart.' I then spoke a few words, 
which God applied ; so that they cried out with might and main, 
4 The gentleman is an honest gentleman, and we will spill our blood 
in his defence.' I asked, ' Shall we go to the justice to-night, or 
in the morning ?' Most of them cried, « To-night, to-night ;' on 
which I went before, and two or three hundred followed ; the rest 
returning whence they came. 

" The night came on before we had walked a mile, together with 
heavy rain. However, on we went to Bentley-hall, two miles from 
Wednesbury. One or two ran before, to tell Mr. Lane they had 
brought Mr. Wesley before his worship. Mr. Lane replied, « What 
have I to do with Mr. Wesley ? Go and carry him back again.' 
By this time the main body came up, and began knocking at the 
door. A servant told them Mr. Lane was in bed. His son fol- 
lowed, and asked what was the matter. One replied, 1 Why, an 't 
please you, they sing psalms all day : nay, and make folks rise at 
five in the morning: and what would your worship advise us to do?' 
4 To go home,' said Mr. Lane* 4 and be quiet.' 

44 Here they were at a full stop, till one advised to go to Justice 



254 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



Persehouse, at Walsal. All agreed to this. So we hastened on, 

and about seven came to his house. But Mr. P likewise sent 

word that he was in bed. Now they were at a stand again ; but at 
last they all thought it the wisest course to make the best of their 
way home. About fifty of them undertook to convoy me ; but we 
had not gone a hundred yards when the mob of Walsal came pour- 
ing in like a flood, and bore down all before them. The Darlaston 
mob made what defence they could ; but they were weary as well 
as outnumbered; so that, in a short time, many being knocked down, 
the rest ran away, and left me in their hands. 

*« To attempt speaking was vain ; for the noise on every side was 
like the roaring of the sea ; so they dragged me along till they came 
to the town, where, seeing the door of a large house open, I at- 
tempted to go in, but a man, catching me by the hair, pulled me 
back into the middle of the mob. They made no more stop till they 
had carried me through the main street, from one end of the town 
to the other. I continued speaking all the time to those within 
hearing, feeling no pain or weariness. At the west end of the town, 
seeing a door half open, I made toward it, and would have gone in; 
but a gentleman in the shop would not suffer me, saying they would 
' pull the house down to the ground.' However, I stood at the door, 
and asked, 'Are you willing to hear me speak?' Many cried out, 
4 No, no ! knock his brains out ; down with him ; kill him at once.' 
Others said, 'Nay, but we will hear him first.' I began asking, 
4 What evil have I done? Which of you all have I wronged in word 
or deed?' and continued speaking for above a quarter of an hour, 
till my voice suddenly failed ; then the floods began to lift up their 
voice again ; many crying out, ' Bring him away, bring him away.* 

" In the mean time my strength and my voice returned, and I 
broke out aloud into prayer. And now the man who just before 
headed the mob, turned and said, ' Sir, I will spend my life for you; 
follow me, and not one soul here shall touch a hair of your head.' 
Two or three of his fellows confirmed his words, and got close to 
me immediately ; at the same time the gentleman in the shop cried 
out, 'For shame, for shame ! let him go.' An honest butcher, who 
was a little farther off, said it was a shame they should do thus ; and 
pulled back four or five, one after another, who were running on 
most fiercely. The people then, as if it had been by common con- 
sent, fell back to the right and left ; while those three or four men 
took me between them, and carried me through them all. But on 
the bridge the mob rallied again ; we therefore went on one side. 



Appendix.] 



WESLEY AN METHODISM. 



255 



over the mill-dam, and thence through the meadows, till a little be- 
fore ten God brought me safe to Wednesbury ; having lost only one 
flap of my waistcoat, and a little skin from one of my hands. 

M I never saw such a chain of providences before ; so many con. 
vincing proofs that the hand of God is on every person and thing, 
overruling all as it seemeth him good. 

" The poor woman of Darlaston, who had headed that mob, and 
sworn that none should touch me, when she saw her followers give 
way, ran into the thickest of the throng, and knocked down three 
or four men, one after another ; but many assaulting her at once, 
she was soon overpowered, and had probably been killed in a few 
minutes, (three men keeping her down, and beating her with all 
their might,) had not a man called to one of them, ' Hold, Tom, 
hold!' * Who is there,' said Tom : 'what! honest Munchin ? Nay, 
then, let her go.' So they held their hand, and let her get up and 
crawl home as well as she could. 

" From the beginning to the end, I found the same presence of 
mind as if I had been sitting in my own study ; but I took no thought 
for one moment before another ; only once it came into my mind, 
that, if they should throw me into the river, it would spoil the papers 
that were in my pocket : for myself, I did not doubt but I should 
swim across, having but a thin coat and a light pair of boots. 

"The circumstances that follow, I thought, were particularly re- 
markable : — 1. That many endeavoured to throw me down while 
we were going down hill on a slippery path, to the town; as well 
judging, that if I was once on the ground, I should hardly rise any 
more : but I made no stumble at all, nor the least slip, until I was 
entirely out of their hands. 2. That although many strove to lay 
hold on my collar or clothes, to pull me down, they could not fasten 
at all ; only one got fast hold of the flap of my waistcoat, which was 
soon left in his hand ; the other flap, in the pocket of which was a 
bank-note, was torn but half off. 3. That a lusty man, just behind, 
struck at me several times with a large oaken stick, with which, if 
he had struck me once on the back part of my head, it would have 
saved him all further trouble : but every time the blow was turned 
aside, I know not how ; for I could not move to the right hand or 
left. 4. That another came rushing through the press, and, raising 
his arm to strike, on a sudden let it drop, and only stroked my head, 
saying, ' What soft hair he has !' 5. That I stopped exactly at the 
mayor's door, as if I had known it, (which the mob doubtless thought 
I did,) and found him standing in the shop, which gave the first 



256 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix 



check to the madness of the people. 6. That the very first men whose 
hearts were turned were the heroes of the town, the captains of the 
rabble on all occasions, one of them having been a prize-fighter at 
the bear-garden. 7. That from first to last, I heard none give a re- 
viling word, or call me by any opprobrious name whatever ; but the 
cry of one and all was, ' The Preacher ! The Preacher ! The Par- 
son ! The Minister !' 8. That no creature, at least within my hear- 
ing, laid any thing to my charge, either true or false ; having in the 
hurry quite forgot to provide themselves with an accusation of any 
kind. And, lastly, That they were as utterly at a loss what they 
should do with me, none proposing any determinate thing, only, 
4 Away with him ; kill him at once.' 

" By how gentle degrees does God prepare us for his will ! Two 
years ago a piece of brick grazed my shoulders. It was a year after 
that the stone struck me between the eyes. Last month I received 
one blow, and this evening two ; one before we came into the town, 
and one after we were gone out ; but both were as nothing : for 
though one man struck me on the breast with all his might, and the 
other on the mouth with such force that the blood gushed out im- 
mediately, I felt no more pain from either of the blows than if they 
had touched me with a straw. 

" It ought not to be forgotten, that when the rest of the society 
made all haste to escape for their lives, four only would not stir, 
Wm. Sitch, Edward Slater, John Griffiths, and Joan Parks ; these 
kept with me, resolving to live or die together : and none of them 
received one blow but William Sitch, who held me by the arm from 
one end of the town to the other. He was then dragged away and 
knocked down ; but he soon rose and got to me again. I afterward 
asked him what he expected when the mob came upon us. He 
said, ' To die for Him who had died for us ;' and he felt no huny or 
fear, but calmly waited till God should require his soul of him. 

44 I asked J. Parks if she was not afraid when they tore her from 
me. She said, 4 No, no more than I am now ; I could trust God for 
you as well as myself. From the beginning I had a full persuasion 
that God would deliver you ; I knew not how, but I left that to him, 
and was as sure as if it were already done.' I asked if the report 
was true, that she had fought for me. She said, * No ; I knew God 
would fight for his children.' And shall these souls perish at the 
last? 

" When I came back to Francis Ward's, I found many of our 
brethren waiting upon God. Many also whom I never had seen 



Appendix.] 



WESLEY AX METHODISM. 



257 



before came to rejoice with us ; and the next morning, as I rode 
through the town in my way to Nottingham, every one I met ex- 
pressed such a cordial affection, that I could scarce believe what I 
saw and heard. 

44 I cannot close this head without inserting as great a curiosity 
in its kind as, I believe, was ever yet seen in England, which had 
its birth within a very few days of this remarkable occurrence at 
Walsal. 

" 1 Staffordshire. 

" 4 To all high-constables, petty-constables, and other of his Majes- 
ty's peace-officers within the said county, and particularly to 
the constable of Tipton, (near Walsal.) 

u< Whereas we, his majesty's justices of the peace for the said 
county of Stafford, have received information that several disorderly 
persons, styling themselves Methodist preachers, go about raising 
routs and riots, to the great damage of his Majesty's liege people, 
and against the peace of our sovereign lord the king : — 

M ' These are, in his Majesty's name, to command you and every 
one of you, within your respective districts, to make diligent search 
after the said Methodist preachers, and to bring him or them before 
some of us, his said Majesty's justices of the peace, to be examined 
concerning their unlawful doings. 

44 4 Given under our bands and seals, this day of 

October, 1743. 

" 4 J. Lane, 

44 4 W. Peksehouse.' 

•* N. B. The very justices to whose houses I was carried, and 
who severally refused to see me !" 

Having made his escape from the Staffordshire rioters, Mr. Wes- 
ley went to Nottingham, where he was met by his brother, who en- 
countered similar treatment in various parts of the country. Charles 
says in his Journal, 44 My brother came, delivered out of the mouth 
of the lions ! His clothes were torn to tatters. He looked like a 
soldier of Christ. The mob of Wednesbury, Darlaston, and Walsal, 
were permitted to take and carry him about for several hours with a 
full intent to murder him : but his work is not yet finished, or he had 
been now with the souls under the altar." 

From Nottingham Mr. Charles Wesley hastened to Wednesbury, 
to strengthen and encourage the persecuted society. He found them 



258 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



assembled, standing fast in one mind and spirit, and in nothing ter- 
rified by their adversaries. He preached twice to them, and admit- 
ted several new members into the society. He also admitted upon 
trial, " the young man whose arm had been broken, and Munchin, 
the late captain of the mob." " He has been constantly under the 
word," says Mr. Charles Wesley, " since he rescued my brother. I 
asked him what he thought of him. * Think of him !' said he, 1 that 
he is a man of God ; and God was on his side, when so many of us 
could not kill one man. 7 " 

The following scene occurred at Devizes : — 

" February 25th, 1747," says Mr. Charles Wesley, was " a day 
never to be forgotten. At seven o'clock, I walked quietly to Mrs. 
Philips's, and began preaching a little before the time appointed. 
For three quarters of an hour, I invited a few listening sinners to 
Christ. Soon after, Satan's whole army assaulted the house. We 
sat in a little ground-room, and ordered all the doors to be thrown 
open. They brought a hand-engine, and began to play into the 
house. We kept our seats, and they rushed into the passage : just 
then Mr. Borough, the constable, came, and seizing the spout of the 
engine carried it off. They swore if he did not deliver it, they 
would pull down the house. At that time they might have taken 
us prisoners ; we were close to them, and none to interpose ; but 
they hurried out to fetch the larger engine. In the mean time we 
were advised to send for the mayor ; but Mr. Mayor was gone out 
of town, in the sight of the people, which gave great encouragement 
to those who were already wrought up to a proper pitch by the 
curate, and the gentlemen of the town ; particularly Mr. Sutton and 
Mr. Willy, dissenters, the two leading men. Mr. Sutton frequently 
came out to the mob, to keep up their spirits. He sent word to Mrs. 
Philips, that if she did not turn that fellow out to the mob, he would 
send them to drag him out. Mr. Willy passed by again and again, 
assuring the rioters he would stand by them, and secure them from 
the law, do what they would." 

The rioters " now began playing the larger engine ; which broke 
the windows, flooded the rooms, and spoiled the goods. We were 
withdrawn to a small upper room in the back part of the house ; 
seeing no way to escape their violence, as they seemed under the 
full power of the old murderer. They first laid hold on the man who 
kept the society-house, dragged him away and threw him into the 
horse-pond ; and it was said, broke his back. We gave ourselves 
unto prayer, believing the Lord would deliver us ; how, or when 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



259 



we saw not ; nor any possible way of escaping ; we therefore stood 
still to see the salvation of God. Every now and then, some or 
other of our friends would venture to us ; but rather weakened our 
hands, so that we were forced to stop our ears, and look up. Among 
the rest, the mayor's maid came, and told us her mistress was in 
tears about me; and begged me to disguise myself in women's 
clothes, and try to make my escape. Her heart had been turned 
toward us by the conversion of her son, just on the brink of ruin. 
God laid his hand on the poor prodigal, and instead of running to 
sea, he entered the society. The rioters without continued playing 
their engine, which diverted them for some time ; but their number 
and fierceness still increased; and the gentlemen supplied them with 
pitchers of ale, as much as they would drink. They were now on 
the point of breaking in, when Mr. Borough thought of reading the 
proclamation ; he did so at the hazard of his life. In less than the 
hour, of above a thousand wild beasts, none were left but the guard. 
Our constable had applied to Mr. Street, the only justice in town, 
who would not act. We found there was no help in man, which 
drove us closer to the Lord ; and we prayed, with little intermission 
the whole day. 

" Our enemies, at their return, made their main assault at the 
back door, swearing horribly, they would have me if it cost them 
their lives. Many seeming accidents concurred to prevent their 
breaking in. The man of the house came home, and instead of 
turning me out, as they expected, took part with us, and stemmed 
the tide for some time. They now got a notion that I had made 
my escape ; and ran down to the inn and played the engine there. 
They forced the innkeeper to turn out our horses, which he imme- 
diately sent to Mr. Clarke's ; which drew the rabble and their en- 
gine thither. But the resolute old man charged and presented his 
gun, till they retreated. Upon their revisiting us, we stood in jeo- 
pardy every moment. Such threatenings, curses, and blasphemies, 
I have never heard. They seemed kept out by a continual miracle. 
I remembered the Roman senators sitting in the forum, when the 
Gauls broke in upon them ; but thought there was a fitter posture 
for Christians, and told my companion they should take us off" our 
knees. We were kept from all hurry, and discomposure of spirit, 
by a divine power resting upon us. We prayed and conversed as 
freely as if we had been in the midst of our brethren ; and had great 
confidence that the Lord would either deliver us from the danger, or 
in it. In the height of the storm, just when we were falling into the 



260 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



hands of the drunken enraged multitude, Mr. Minton was so little 
disturbed that he fell fast asleep. 

" They were now close to us on every side, and over our heads 
untiling the roof. A ruffian cried out, ' Here they are, behind the 
curtain.' At this time we fully expected their appearance, and re- 
tired to the furthermost corner of the room ; and I said, This is the 
crisis. In that moment Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and 
there was a great calm. We heard not a breath without, and won- 
dered what was become of them. The silence lasted for three 
quarters of an hour, before any one came near us ; and we continued 
in mutual exhortation and prayer, looking for deliverance. I often 
told my companions, ' Now God is at work for us : he is contriving 
our escape ; he can turn these leopards into lambs ; can command 
the heathen to bring his children on their shoulders, and make our 
fiercest enemies the instruments of our deliverance.' About three 
o'clock Mr. Clarke knocked at the door, and brought with him the 
persecuting constable. He said, 4 Sir, if you will promise never to 
preach here again, the gentleman and I will engage to bring you 
safe out of town.' My answer was, 1 1 shall promise no such thing : 
setting aside my office, I will not give up my birthright as an Eng- 
lishman, of visiting what place I please of his majesty's dominions.' 
* Sir,' said the constable, * we expect no such promise that you will 
never come here again ; only tell me that it is not your present in- 
tention, that I may tell the gentlemen, who will secure your quiet 
departure.' I answered, ' I cannot come again at this time, because 
I must return to London a week hence. But, observe, I make no 
promise of not preaching here when the door is opened ; and do not 
you say that I do.' 

** He went away with this answer, and we betook ourselves to 
prayer and thanksgiving. We perceived it was the Lord's doing, 
and it was marvellous in our eyes. The hearts of our adversaries 
were turned. Whether pity for us, or fear for themselves, wrought 
strongest, God knoweth ; probably the latter ; for the mob were 
wrought up to such a pitch of fury, that their masters dreaded the 
consequence, and therefore went about appeasing the multitude, and 
charging them not to touch us in our departure. 

w While the constable was gathering his posse, we got our things 
from Mr. Clarke's, and prepared to go forth. The whole multitude 
were without, expecting us, and saluted with a general shout. The 
man Mrs. Naylor had hired to ride before her was, as we perceived, 
one of the rioters. This hopeful guide was to conduct us out of the 



Appendix.] wesleyan Methodism. 



261 



reach of his fellows. Mr. Minton and I took horse in the face of 
our enemies, who began clamouring against us ; the gentlemen were- 
dispersed among the mob to bridle them. We rode a slow pace up 
the street, the whole multitude pouring along on both sides, and 
attending us with loud acclamations. Such fierceness and diabolical 
malice I have not before seen in human faces. They ran up to our 
horses as if they would swallow us, but did not know which was 
Wesley. We felt great peace, and acquiescence in the honour done 
us, while the whole town were spectators of our march. When out 
of sight we mended our pace, and about 7 o'clock came to Wrexall. 
The news of our danger was got thither before us ; but we brought 
the welcome tidings of our deliverance. We joined in hearty prayer 
to our Deliverer, singing the hymn, — 

" Worship, and thanks, and blessing," &c. _ 



NOTE TO PAGE 74. 
HYMN, 

BY THE REV. CHARLES WESLEY, M. A. 

ON THE DEATH OF THOMAS BEARD, 

WHO WAS IMPRESSED FOR A SOLDIER, AND DIED IN THE HOSF/TAL AT 
NEWCASTLE. 

Soldier of Christ, adieu ! 

Thy conflicts here are past ; 
The Lord hath brought thee through, 

And given the crown at last : 
Rejoice to wear the glorious prize, 
Rejoice with God in paradise. 

There all thy sufferings cease, 

There all thy griefs are o'er ; 
The prisoner is at peace, 

The mourner weeps no more : 
From man's oppressive tyranny 
Thou live st, thou livest for ever free. 



262 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix 



Torn from thy friends below, 

In banishment severe, 
A man of strife and wo, 

No more thou wander'st here ; 
Join'd to thy better friends above, 
At rest in thy Redeemer's love. 

No longer now constrain'd 
With human fiends to dwell, 

To see their evil, pain'd, 
Their blasphemies to feel ; 

Angels and saints thy comrades are, 

And all adore the Saviour there. 

Thou canst not there bemoan 
Thy friends' or country's loss, 

Through sore oppression groan, 
Or faint beneath the cross ; 

The joy hath swallow'd up the pain, 

And death is thy eternal gain. 

What hath their malice done, 
Who hurried hence thy soul ! 

When half thy race was run, 
They push'd thee to the goal, 

Sent to the souls supremely blest, 

And drove thee to thy earlier rest. 

Thou out of great distress 

To thy reward art past, 
Triumphant happiness, 

And joys that always last; 
Thanks be to God, who set thee free, 
And gave the final victory ! 

Thy victory we share, 
Thy glorious joy we feel j 

Parted in flesh we are, 
But join'd in spirit still: 

And still we on our brethren call, 

To praise the common Lord of all. 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



263 



Not for your needless aid, 

Not for your useless prayers, 
(Jesus for us hath pray'd, 

And all our burdens bears,) 
Yet still on you we call and cry, 
41 Extol the Lord of earth and sky." 
Then let us still maintain 

Our fellowship divine, 
And, till we meet again, 

In Jesus' praises join ; 
Thus, till we all your raptures know 
Sing you above, and we below ! 



ANOTHER. 

All worship and love 

To the Father above, 
Who hath summon'd another his glory to prove ; 

Who, in pity and grace, 

Hath shorten'd his race, 
And caught up a worm to the sight of his face. 

Our friend is at rest, 

In a paradise blest, 
Which sorrow and Satan can never molest ; 

He hath shook off his clay, 

He is wafted away, 
And escaped to the regions of permanent day. 

Thrice happy remove 

To a country above, 
Where all are employ'd in a triumph of love ! 

We thitherward tend, 

We, too, shall ascend, 
And begin the enjoyment which never shall end. 

For this do we mourn, 

Till, by angels upborne, 
We again to our heavenly border return : 

Caught up in the air, 

We soon shall be there, 
And our happy unfading inheritance share. 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix 



What joy shall abound, 

When our brethren around 
The throne of our glorious Redeemer are found ! 

When our comrades in pain, 

We embrace them again, 
And in Jesus's bosom eternally reign. 

With loving surprise 
The whole company cries, — 
u How strangely at last are we met in the skies ! 
What a wonder of grace, 
Transcending our praise, 
That we should be seen in this holiest place ! 

" Poor sinners below, 

Acquainted with wo, 
How heavily once with our load did we go ! 

In trials severe, 

How oft did we fear 
We should never hold out, and should never come here ! 

" Fellow-prisoners beneath, 

Our sorrowful breath 
We wasted in passionate wishes for death ; 

Our evils so rife, 

So painful our strife, 
And so long did it seem, the sad moment of life ! 

" That moment is past ! 

We are landed at last ; 
We are safely arrived where our anchor was cast : * 

On Immanuel's land, 

With a numberless band 
Of cherubs and seraphs, exulting we stand. 

" For a moment of pain 

We on earth did sustain, 
An eternal reward we in heaven obtain : 

Who governs the skies 

Hath banish'd our sighs, 
And the Lamb he hath wiped all tears from our eyes. 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAX METHODISM, 



265 



" No uneasy alloy 
Shall sully our joy, 

While our harps in Immanuel's praise we employ ; 
Not a dissonant string 
Shall be heard while we sing, 

With the chorus of angels, our Saviour and King. 

" Our Saviour we own, 

Who sits on the throne, 
Salvation ascribe to the Father and Son ! 

* We are saved by the Lamb !' 

Let all heaven proclaim, 
Let all heaven bow down to the wonderful name ! 

" Our Jesus surround, 

With majesty crown'd, 
And 4 Amen' to our praises, ye seraphim, Bound ; 

Lo, he shows us his face ! 

Ye seraphim, gaze, 
Or fall, and adore in the spirit of praise. 

" Thus, thus let us lie, 

Till, raised by his eye, 
1 Hallelujah !' again, « Hallelujah !' we cry ; 

Progressively move, 

And in rapture improve, 
And eternity spend in the praise of his love." 



NOTE TO PAGE 124. 

Mr. Charles Wesley declined to write an epitaph on Mr. Her- 
vey ; but he composed the following hymn on the occasion of his 
friend's death : — 

PART I. 

He 's gone ! the spotless soul is gone, 

Triumphant to his place above ; 
The prison walls are broken down, 

The angels speed his swift remove, 
And shouting on their wings he flies, 
And Hervey rests in paradise. 

12 



266 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix 



Through the last dreadful conflict brought, 
Which shook so sore his dying breast, 

Far happier for that bitter draught, 

With more transcendent raptures blest, 

He finds for every patient groan 

A jewel added to his crown. 

Saved by the merit of his Lord, 
Salvation, praise to Christ he gives ; 

Yet still his merciful reward 
According to his works receives ; 

And with the seed he sow'd below, 

His bliss eternally shall grow. 

Redeem'd by righteousness divine, 
In God's own portraiture complete, 

"With brighter rays ordain'd to shine, 
He casts his crown at Jesus' feet, 

And hails him sitting on the throne, 

For ever saved by grace alone. 

PART II. 

Father, to us vouchsafe the grace 

Which brought our friend victorious through ; 
Let us his shining footsteps trace, 

Let us his steadfast faith pursue, 
Follow this follower of the Lamb, 
And conquer all through Jesus' name. 

Through Jesus' name, and strength, and word, 
The well-fought fight our brother won ; 

Arm'd with the Saviour's blood and sword, 
He cast the dire accuser down ; 

Compell'd the aliens to submit, 

And trampled flesh beneath his feet. 

In vain the Gnostic tempter tried 

With guile his upright heart t' insnare ; 

His upright heart the fiend defied ; 

No room for sin when Christ was there ; 

No need of fancied liberty, 

When Christ had made him truly free. 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



267 



Free from the law of sin and death, 
Free from the Antinomian leaven, 

He led his Master's life beneath ; 

And, labouring for the rest of heaven, 

By active love, and watchful prayer, 

He show'd his heart already there. 

How full of heaven his latest word, 

" Thou bidd'st me now in peace depart, 

For I have known my precious Lord, . 
Have clasp'd thee, Saviour, in my heart, 

My eyes thy glorious joy have seen !" 

He spake, he died, and enter'd in. 

might we all like him believe, 
And keep the faith, and win the prize ! 

Father, prepare, and then receive, 
Our hallow'd spirits to the skies, 

To chant, with all our friends above, 

Thy glorious everlasting love. 



NOTE TO PAGE 125. 

Mr. Charles Wesley wrote the following hymns on the death of 
Mr. Grim8haw. We copy them from his own manuscript :— 

, I. 

Thanks be to God, whose truth, and power, 

And faithful mercies never end ; 
Who brings us through the mortal hour, 

And bids our spotless souls ascend ! 

Thanks be to God, the God of love, 

The giver of all-conquering grace ; 
Who calls our friend to joys above, 

And shows him there his open face. 

The God whom here his faith beheld, 

The Father's fulness in his Son, 
He sees in glorious light reveal'd, 

And shouts and falls before the throne. 



268 



THE CENTENARY OF [Appendix 



We, Saviour, at thy footstool lie, 

Thy creatures, purchased by thy blood, 

And " Holy ! holy ! holy !" cry, 
In honour of the Triune God ; 

With angels and archangels join, 
With all the ransom'd sons of grace, 

Extol the Majesty Divine, 
Or breathe unutterable praise. 

We praise the constancy of love, 
Which kept its favourite to the end, 

Which soon shall all our souls remove, 
Who trust in our Eternal Friend. 

To us who in thy blood believe, 

The world, the fiend, and sin tread down, 
Thou wilt the final victory give, 

And then the bright triumphal crown. 

II. 

How happy the dead Who Jesus adored ! 
The soldier is freed, And rests with his Lord : 
His wayfare is ended, His labours are o'er, 
The soul is ascended, And death is no more. 

The ripe shock of corn Corruption defies ; 
The spirit is borne To God in the skies ; 
The partner of Jesus Looks down from above ; 
Lamenting, he sees us With pity and love. 

" My father, my guide," Our Israel may say, 
" Is torn from our side, Is vanish'd away ! 
A prophef s translation We justly deplore, 
With calm lamentation And weeping adore. 

" Devotion in tears Expresses its love, 
Till Jesus appears, Our souls to remove ; 
The loss of a Stephen We greatly bewail ; 
He triumphs in heaven, We mourn in the vale. 

" We mourn, but as men Rejoicing in hope, 
To see him again, Together caught up, 
Our great consolation When Jesus comes down, 
The heirs of salvation With glory to crown. 



Appendix.] wesleyan Methodism. 269 

44 Saviour descend ! No longer delay 
Our sufferings to end, And bear us away, 
Where death cannot sever, Or sorrow molest, 
Thy people, for ever Reposed on thy breast." 



NOTE TO PAGE 131. 

The following poetical epistle was addressed by Mr. Charles 
"Wesley to Mr. Whitefield 

TO THE REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD, 1755. 

Come on, my Whitefield, (since the strife is past, 

And friends at first are friends again at last,) 

Our hands, and hearts, and counsels let us join, 

In mutual league, t' advance the work divine. 

Our one contention now, our single aim* 

To pluck poor souls as brands out of the flame. 

To spread the victory of that bloody cross, 

And gasp our latest breath in the Redeemer's cause. 

Too long, alas ! we gave to Satan place, 
When party-zeal put on an angel's face ; 
Too long we listen'd to th' consuming fiend, 
Whose trumpet sounded, 44 For the faith contend !" 
With hasty, blindfold rage in error's night, 
How did we with our fellow-soldiers fight ! 
We could not then our Father's children know, 
But each mistook his brother for his foe. 
44 Foes to the truth, can you in conscience spare ? 
Tear them," the tempter cried, 44 in pieces tear !" 
So thick the darkness, so confused the noise, 
We took the stranger's for the shepherd's voice ; 
Rash nature waved the controversial sword, 
On fire to fight the battles of the Lord ; 
Fraternal love from every breast was driven, 
And bleeding charity return'd to heaven. 

The Saviour saw our strife with pitying eye, 
And cast a look that made the shadows fly ; 



270 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



Soon as the dayspring in his presence shone, 

We found the two fierce armies were but one. 

Common our hope, and family, and name, 

Our arms, our Captain, and our crown the same ; 

Enlisted all beneath Immanuel's sign, 

And purchased every soul with precious blood divine. 

Then let us cordially again embrace, 

Nor e'er infringe the league of gospel grace ; 

Let us in Jesus' name to battle go, 

And turn our arms against the common foe; 

Fight, side by side, beneath our Captain's eye, 

Chase the Philistines ; on their shoulders fly ; 

And, more than conquerors, in the harness die. 

For whether I am born to " blush above," 

On earth suspicious of electing love, 

Or you, o'erwhelmed with honourable shame, 

To shout the universal Saviour's name, 

It matters not ; if, all our conflicts past, 

Before the great white throne we meet at last. 

Our only care, while sojourning below, 

Our real faith by real love to show, 

To blast the alien's hope, and let them see 

How friends of jarring sentiments agree ; 

Not in a party's narrow banks confined, 

Not by a sameness of opinions join'd, 

But cemented with the Redeemer's blood, 

And bound together in the heart of God. 

Can we forget from whence our union came, 
When first we simply met in Jesus' name ? 
The name mysterious of the God unknown, 
Whose secret love allured, and drew us on, 
Through a long, lonely, legal wilderness, 
To find the promised land of gospel peace. 
True yokefellows we then agreed to draw 
Th' intolerable burden of the law ; 
And, jointly labouring on with zealous strife, 
Strengthen'd each other's hands to work for life ; 
To turn against the world our steady face, 
And, valiant for the truth, enjoy disgrace. 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



271 



Then, when we served our God through fear alone, 
Our views, our studies, and our hearts, were one : 
No smallest difference damp'd the social flame ; 
In Moses' school we thought and spoke the same. 
And must we, now in Christ, with shame confess, 
Our love was greater when our light was less ? 
When darkly through a glass, with servile awe, 
We first the spiritual commandment saw, 
Could we not then, our mutual love to show, 
Through fire and water for each other go ? 
We could ; we did. In a strange land I stood, 
And beckon'd thee to cross th' Atlantic flood. 
With true affection wing'd, thy ready mind 
Left country, fame, and ease, and friends behind ; 
And, eager all Heaven's counsels to explore, 
Flew through the watery world, and grasp'd the shore. 

Nor did I linger, at my friend's desire, 

To tempt the furnace, and abide the fire ; 

When, suddenly sent forth, from the highways 

I call'd poor outcasts to the feast of grace, 

Urged to pursue the work by thee begun, 

Through good and ill report I still rush'd on, 

Nor felt the fire of popular applause, 

Nor fear'd the torturing flame in such a glorious cause. 

Ah ! wherefore did we ever seem to part, 
Or clash in sentiment, while one in heart ? 
What dire device did the old serpent find, 
To put asunder those whom God had join'd ? 
From folly and self-love opinion rose, 
To sever friends who never yet were foes, 
To baffle and divert our noblest aim, 
Confound our pride, and cover us with shame ; 
To make us blush beneath her short-lived power, 
And glad the world with one triumphant hour. 

But lo ! the snare is broke, the captive's freed, 

By faith on all the hostile powers we tread, 

And crush, through Jesus' strength, the serpent's head. 

Jesus hath cast the cursed accuser down, 

Hath rooted up the tares by Satan sown, 



272 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix, 



Kindled anew the never-dying flame, 
And rebaptized our souls into his name. 
Soon as the virtue of his name we feel, 
The storm of strife subsides, the sea is still : 
All nature bows to his supreme command, 
And two are one in his almighty hand. 
One in his hand O may we still remain, 
Fast bound in love's indissoluble chain ; 
(That adamant which time and death defies, 
That golden chain which draws us to the skies !) 
His love the tie that binds us to his throne ; 
His love the bond that perfects us in one ; 
His love, (let all the ground of friendship see,) 
His love alone constrains our hearts t' agree, 
And gives the rivet of eternity. 



The following hymns were addressed by Mr. Charles Wesley to 
Mr. Whitefield, at an early period of their public life : — 

TO THE REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD. 

Brother in Christ, and well-beloved, 
Attend, and add thy prayer to mine, 

As Aaron call'd, yet inly moved, 
To minister in things divine. 

Faithful, and often own'd of God, 

Vessel of grace by Jesus used ; 
Stir up the gift on thee bestow'd, 

The gift through hallow'd hands transfused. 

Fully thy heavenly mission prove, 

And make thy own election sure ; 
Rooted in faith, and hope, and love, 

Active to work, and firm t' endure. 

Scorn to contend with flesh and blood, 

And trample on so mean a foe ; 
By stronger fiends in vain withstood, 

Dauntless to nobler conquests go. 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISE. 



273 



Go where the darkest tempest lowers, 
Thy foes, triumphant wrestler, foil ; m 

Thrones, principalities, and powers, 
Engage, o'ercome, and take the spoil. 

The weapons of thy warfare take, 
With truth and meekness arm'd, ride on ; 

Mighty through God, hell's kingdom shake, 
Satan's strong holds, through God, pull down. 

Humble each vain, aspiring boast, 

Intensely for God's glory burn ; 
Strongly declare the sinner lost, 

Self-kiohteous^tess o'erturn, o'erturn ! 

Tear the bright idol from his shrine, 

Nor suffer him on earth to dwell, 
T' usurp the place of blood divine, 

But chase him to his native hell. 

Be all into subjection brought ; 

The pride of man let faith abase ; 
And captivate his every thought, 

And force him to be saved by grace. 



TO THE SAME, BEFORE HIS VOYAGE. 

Servant of God, the summons hear, 

The Master calls ! arise, obey ! 
The tokens of his will appear, 

His providence points out the way. 

Lo, we commend thee to his grace, 
In confidence go forth ! be strong ! 

Thy meat his will, thy boast his praise, 
His righteousness be all thy song. 

Strong in the Lord's almighty power, 

And arm'd in panoply divine, 
Firm may'st thou stand in danger's hour, 

And prove the strength of Jesus- thine. 
12* 



274 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



Thy breastplate be his righteousness, 
His sacred truth thy loins surround ; 

Shod be thy beauteous feet with peace, 
Spring forth, and spread the gospel sound. 

Fight the good fight, and stand secure 

In faith's impenetrable shield ; 
Hell's prince shall tremble at its power, 

With all his fiery darts repell'd. 

Prevent thy foes, nor wait their charge, 
But call their lingering battle on ; 

But strongly grasp thy sevenfold targe, 
And bear the world and Satan down. 

The helmet of salvation take, 

The Lord's, the Spirit's conquering sword ; 
Speak from the word, — in lightning speak ; 

Cry out, and thunder, — from the word. 

Champion of God, thy Lord proclaim, 

Jesus alone resolved to know ; 
Tread down thy foes in Jesus' name, 

Go conquering, and to conquer go. 

Through racks and fires pursue thy way, 

Be mindful of a dying God ; 
Finish thy course, and win the day ; 

Look up, and seal the truth with blood. 



NOTE TO PAGE 162. 

The following epitaph upon Dr. Coke was written by the Rev. 
Richard Watson. It is inscribed upon a marble tablet in the City, 
road chapel, London, near the tablets which have been erected there 
in memory of the Rev. John and Charles Wesley, and Mr. Fletcher* 
Mr. Watson greatly admired the missionary zeal of Dr. Coke ; and 
has, with a master's hand, sketched the peculiarities of his character, 
and his public labours : — 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



275 



" Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God, 
And the isles shall wait for his law." 

SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF 

THE REV. THOMAS COKE, LL.D., 

OF JESUS COLLEGE, OXFORD ; 
WHO WAS BORN AT BRECON, THE IX OF SEPTEMBER, 
MDCCXLVII ; 
AND DIED THE III OF MAY, MDCCCXIV. 

After a zealous ministry of several years in the Established 
Church, 

He gave up himself, a. d. mdcclxxvi, to the direction of the 
Rev. John Wesley, M. A., 
And did the work of an Evangelist with much success in various 
parts of Great Britain and Ireland. 
He was appointed, a. d. mdcclxxxiv, the first Superintendent 
of the " Methodist Episcopal Church," 
in America. 

To him also were confided the foreign Missions 
of the Methodists ; 
In support of which he expended nearly all his patrimonial 
fortune ; 

And encountered toils and self-denials, 
Which the Christian world beheld with admiration. 

By the blessing of God on the Missions to the Negroes 
in the West Indies, 
Commenced by him a. d. mdcclxxxvi, 
Fifteen thousand persons had been formed, before his death, 
into religious societies, 
And a foundation laid for the civilization and salvation 
of that degraded class of human beings. 
To the Negro Race upon their native continent, as well as in the 
islands of their bondage, 
His compassions were extended ; 
And he set the first example, in modern days, of efforts for the 
spiritual emancipation of Western Africa. 



After crossing the Atlantic eighteen times, in the service of the 
souls of men, 



276 the centenary or [Appendix. 

His unwearied spirit was stirred within him 
To take a part in the noble enterprise of evangelizing 
British India ; 

And he sailed from England, a. d. mdcccxiii, as the Leader 

of the first Methodist Missionaries sent to Ceylon. 
But this " burning and shining light," which, in the western 
world, had guided thousands into the paths of peace, 
Had now fulfilled its course ; and suddenly, yet rich in evening 

splendour, sunk into the shadows of mortality. 
He died on the voyage ; and his remains were committed to the 
great deep, until the sea shall give up her dead. 
His days were past ; but his purposes were not broken off: 
The work which he had planned has been made to 
prosper ; 

And through the preaching of the Gospel, the circulation of the 
Scriptures in the native tongues, 
And the establishment of Christian Schools, 
Many once-deluded Cingalese have exchanged the 
Wretchedness of an Atheistic Creed, 
And the worship of idols and of devils, for the light and 
comfort of the true religion. 

The same love of Christ, which made him long the Advocate 
and the Pattern of exertion in behalf of foreign lands, 
Constrained him also to works of pious charity at home. 
Into many neglected districts of England, Wales, and Ireland, 
The means of grace were carried by his private bounty, 
or through his public influence : 
And his "praise is in the Gospel throughout all 
the churches." 

This monument was erected, a. d. mdcccxxii, at the personal 

expense of the Methodist Ministers and Missionaries, 
As a record of their respectful gratitude for the disinterested 
services, the eminent usefulness, 
And the long-tried and faithful attachment of their now glorified 
friend. 

" He that winneth souls is wise." 



Appendix.] 



WESLEYAN METHODISM. 



277 



RULES 

OF THE 

SOCIETY OF THE PEOPLE CALLED METHODISTS. 

1. In the latter end of the year 1739, eight or ten persons came 
to me in London, who appeared to be deeply convinced of sin, and 
earnestly groaning for redemption. They desired (as did two or 
three more the next day) that I would spend some time with them 
in prayer, and advise them how to flee from the wrath to come, 
which they saw continually hanging over their heads. That we might 
have more time for this great work, I appointed a day when they 
might all come together ; which, from thenceforward, they did every 
week, namely, on Thursday, in the evening. To these, and as 
many more as desired to join with them, (for their number increased 
daily,) I gave those advices from time to time which I judged most 
needful for them ; and we always concluded our meetings with 
prayer suited to their several necessities. 

2. This was the rise of the United Society, first in London, and 
then in other places. Such a society is no other than " a company 
of men having the form, and seeking the power, of godliness ; 
united, in order to pray together, to receive the word of exhorta- 
tion, and to watch over one another in love, that they may help each 
other to work out their salvation." 

3. That it may the more easily be discerned, whether they are 
indeed working out their own salvation, each society is divided into 
smaller companies, called classes, according to their respective 
places of abode. There are about twelve persons in every class : 
one of whom is styled the leader. It is his business, 

I. To see each person in his class once a week at least, in order 
To inquire how their souls prosper ; 

To advise, reprove, comfort, or exhort, as occasion may require ; 
To receive what they are willing to give toward the support of 
the gospel ; 

II. To meet the ministers and stewards of the society once a 
week, in order 

To inform the minister of any that are sick, or of any that walk 
disorderly, and will not be reproved ; 



278 



THE CENTENARY OF 



[Appendix. 



To pay to the stewards what they have received of their several 
classes in the week preceding ; and 

To show their account of what each person has contributed. 

4. There is only one condition previously required of those who 
desire admission into these societies, namely, "a desire to flee from 
the wrath to come, to be saved from their sins." But wherever this 
is really fixed in the soul, it will be shown by its fruits. It is there- 
fore expected of all who continue therein, that they should continue 
to evidence their desire of salvation, 

First, by doing no harm, by avoiding evil in every kind : espe- 
cially that which is most generally practised, such as 
The taking the name of God in vain : 

The profaning the day of the Lord, either by doing ordinary work 
thereon, or by buying or selling : 

Drunken ness ; buying or selling spirituous liquors, or drinking 
them, unless in cases of extreme necessity : 

Fighting, quarrelling, brawling ; brother going to law with bro- 
ther; returning evil for evil, or railing for railing; the using many 
words in buying or selling. 

The buying or selling uncustomed goods : 

The giving or taking things on usury ; that is, unlawful interest : 
Uncharitable or unprofitable conversation ; particularly speaking 
evil of magistrates or ministers : 

Doing to others as we would not they should do unto us : 
Doing what we know is not for the glory of God ; as, 
The putting on of gold or costly apparel ; 

The taking such diversions as cannot be used in the name of the 
Lord Jesus ; 

The singing those songs, or reading those books, which do not 
tend to the knowledge or love of God : 
Softness, and needless self-indulgence : 
Laying up treasure upon earth : 

Borrowing without a probability of paying ; or taking up goods 
without the probability of paying for them. 

5. It is expected of all who continue in these societies, that they 
should continue to evidence their desire of salvation, 

Secondly, By doing good, by being in every kind merciful after 
their power, as they have opportunity ; doing good of every possible 
sort, and as far as possible, to all men : 

To their bodies of the ability that God giveth, by giving food to 



Appendix.'] 



WESLEY AN METHODISE. 



279 



the hungry, by clothing the naked, by helping or visiting them that 
are sick, or in prison : 

To their souls, by instructing, reproving, or exhorting all we have 
any intercourse with ; trampling under foot that enthusiastic doctrine 
of devils, that " We are not to do good, unless our hearts be free 
to it." 

By doing good, especially to them that are of the household of 
faith, or groaning so to be ; employing them preferably to others, 
buying one of another, helping each other in business ; and so much 
the more, because the world will love its own, and them only. 

By all possible diligence and frugality, that the gospel be not 
blamed. 

By running with patience the race that is set before them, deny- 
ing themselves, and taking up their cross daily ; submitting to bear 
the reproach of Christ ; to be as the filth and offscouring of the 
world : and looking that men should say all manner of evil of them 
falsely, for the Lord's sake. 

6. It is expected of all who desire to continue in these societies, 
that they should continue to evidence their desire of salvation, 

Thirdly, By attending upon all the ordinances of God : such are, 
The public worship of God ; 

The ministry of the word, either read or expounded ; 
The supper of the Lord ; 
Family and private prayer ; 
Searching the Scriptures ; and 
Fasting or abstinence. 

7. These are the general rules of our societies : all which we are 
taught of God to observe, even in his written word, the only rule, 
and the sufficient rule, both of our faith and practice. And all these 
Ave know his Spirit writes on every truly awakened heart. If there 
be any among us who observe them not, who habitually break any 
of them, let it be made known unto them who watch over that soul, 
as they that must give an account. We will admonish him of the 
error of his ways: we will bear with him for a season. But then, 
if he repent not, he hath no more place among us. We have de- 
livered our own souls. ✓ 

John Wesley, 
Charles Wesley. 

May 1, 1743. 



H 113 82H 




4? * 









^ A* *V 



> w/w\\\r - •* ^ 

»^V^^V'"* • % Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 

O # » * *\ ^ * Neutralizin 9 agent: Magnesium Oxide 

^ o * • *<6 Treatment Date: May 2006 

u ^ oV^^ftC* ^ PreservationTechnologies 

A WORLD LEADER IN PAPER PRESERVATION 

1 1 1 Thomson Park Drive 
Cranberry Township, PA 16066 j 
(724)779-2111 



4> *r\ 



» 9a 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




017 667 410 6 • 



